NEW DELHI: Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar, for the first time since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, had an interaction with Taliban acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

In the backdrop of India-Pakistan and Afghanistan-Pakistan tensions, Jaishankar and Muttaqi discussed New Delhi's historical ties with Kabul. Afterwards, Jaishankar, on X, thanked the Afghan minister for his rebuttal of the horrific Pahalgam terror attack.

This was the highest level of contact between India and Afghanistan since the August 2021 Taliban takeover.

On X, EAM Jaishankar thanked the Taliban minister for the condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist attack. He also acknowledged the acting Afghan foreign minister's "firm rejection of recent attempts to create distrust between India and Afghanistan through false and baseless reports".

This was an apparent reference to recent Pakistani reports, which claimed that India had "hired" the Taliban to stage a "false flag" operation at Pahalgam and used the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to target Islamabad.

Acknowledging India and Afghanistan's "traditional friendship" in the spotlight, Jaishankar underlined India's continuing support for the development needs of the Afghan people. He also said that during the call with Muttaqi, they "discussed ways and means of taking cooperation forward". 

What did the Taliban say about the high-level talks?

Referring to India as a "key regional country", Muttaqi, in a readout, said that he and Jaishankar exchanged views on enhancing bilateral ties, promoting trade and "advancing diplomatic engagement" between India and Afghanistan.

Highlighting the historical "nature of Afghanistan-India relations", he then expressed optimism that the ties "will grow stronger".

Muttaqi also reiterated Afghanistan's commitment to a "balanced foreign policy and the pursuit of constructive relations with all nations".

The Taliban minister also called out for the release of Afghan prisoners held in India and sought New Delhi's facilitation in issuing visas for Afghan traders and patients. As per reports, Jaishankar assured Muttaqi that attention will be paid to both issues.