The Taliban foreign minister of Afghanistan, Amir Khan Muttaqi, is in India on his first official visit, from October 9 to 16. He will meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday and then visit seminaries in Agra and Deoband.

This is a crucial moment in India’s foreign policy , as New Delhi engages with the Taliban while it is yet to grant official recognition to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Changing geopolitical situations and India’s security calculus have dictated this path, but New Delhi has tricky territory to navigate, especially with the Taliban’s treatment of women and other regressive policies.

Who is Amir Khan Muttaqi?

Muttaqi has an interesting backstory. He was born in 1970 in Helmand province, where his family, originally from Paktia, had relocated.

At the ag

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