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‘Future looks bright’: Afghan foreign minister on relations with India
“We will be sending new diplomats, and I hope you people will visit Kabul as well. I have hopes for stronger ties in the future based on the way I was received in Delhi. These visits may become frequent in the near future,” Amir Khan Muttaqi told reporters after interacting with scholars at Darul Uloom Deoband on Saturday.
Afghanistan’s foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Saturday expressed optimism about strengthening India-Afghanistan relations as he received a rousing welcome at the historic Islamic seminary, Darul Uloom Deoband, in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district.
“We will be sending new diplomats, and I hope you people will visit Kabul as well. I have hopes for stronger ties in the future based on the way I was received in Delhi. These visits may become frequent in the near future,” Muttaqi told reporters after interacting with scholars at the seminary.
Arriving from New Delhi by road, the Afghan leader was received by the Mohtamim (vice-chancellor) of Darul Uloom Deoband, Maulana Abul Qasim Nomani, Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind president Maulana Arshad Madani, and senior clerics. He was accorded a floral welcome as hundreds of students and locals thronged to the campus.
“I am thankful for such a grand welcome and the affection shown by the people here. I hope that India-Afghanistan ties advance further,” Muttaqi said.
“The future of India-Afghanistan relations seems very bright,” he remarked, signalling a possible thaw in bilateral relations between New Delhi and Kabul under the Taliban regime.
Ahead of his arrival, intelligence and security agencies had made elaborate arrangements in and around the Deoband campus. A team of officials from the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi had also reached Saharanpur on Friday (October 10) to coordinate the high-profile visit.
Muttaqi’s visit comes at a time when both India and Afghanistan share tense ties with Pakistan over cross-border terrorism and regional security issues.
Beyond the political context, Muttaqi highlighted the spiritual and cultural connection between Afghanistan and Deoband. “Deoband is a big centre for the Islamic world… Afghanistan and Deoband are connected. We want our spiritual students to come and study here too,” he said.
Meanwhile, a group of Afghan students currently studying at the seminary met Muttaqi and handed him a letter seeking relaxation in India’s visa norms. In response, he assured them that he would take up the issue with the government of India.
At present, only 12 students from Afghanistan are enrolled at Darul Uloom Deoband, a sharp decline from over 100 students who were studying there four years ago.
Amid overwhelming enthusiasm among students, Muttaqi’s scheduled address at the seminary was abruptly cancelled. He subsequently departed for Delhi. The seminary administration did not specify the reason, but a senior official stated that directives from ‘top authorities’ in Delhi led to the decision.
