Afghanistan’s foreign minister Maulana Amir Khan Muttaqi visited the Darul Uloom Deoband Islamic seminary in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district on Saturday during his first visit to India since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
The seminary administration made elaborate arrangements to welcome him, issuing a list of 15 prominent Ulema (Islamic scholars) to receive him. Tight security measures were enforced across the area in coordination with national and state agencies.
Muttaqi’s convoy departed from Delhi around 8.30 am and reached Deoband by noon. The visit follows his meetings with several Indian officials in Delhi on Friday, as part of his ongoing six-day visit to India.
The welcome ceremony at Darul Uloom was supervised by the seminary’s rector, Maulana Mufti Abul Qasim Nomani, who greeted the Afghan minister along with senior scholars.
Students and faculty members showered flower petals on Muttaqi as he entered the campus, while many students gathered eagerly to take selfies with his entourage.
Inside the seminary’s central library, Muttaqi participated in a scholarly session where he studied a Hadith (Prophetic tradition) under Maulana Nomani. He later sought and received permission to teach Hadith, for which the rector conferred upon him the Hadith Sanad (certificate of authority). Following this, Muttaqi earned the right to use the title “Qasmi”, denoting his academic connection to the prestigious institution. He can now formally write his name as Maulana Amir Khan Muttaqi Qasmi.
{{/usCountry}}Inside the seminary’s central library, Muttaqi participated in a scholarly session where he studied a Hadith (Prophetic tradition) under Maulana Nomani. He later sought and received permission to teach Hadith, for which the rector conferred upon him the Hadith Sanad (certificate of authority). Following this, Muttaqi earned the right to use the title “Qasmi”, denoting his academic connection to the prestigious institution. He can now formally write his name as Maulana Amir Khan Muttaqi Qasmi.
{{/usCountry}}Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind president Maulana Arshad Madani said, “We share an educational and academic relationship with Afghanistan. He has come to visit his alma mater, and after that, he will hold discussions with us.”
Addressing the gathering during his visit, Amir Khan Muttaqi expressed gratitude and optimism about future relations between India and Afghanistan. He said, “I am thankful for such a grand welcome and the affection shown by the people here. I hope that India-Afghanistan ties advance further. 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- from the way I was received in Delhi, these visits may be frequent in the near future.”
Muttaqi’s visit to Darul Uloom Deoband, an institution historically regarded as a spiritual and educational inspiration for many Afghan clerics — carries deep symbolic importance. It reflects the Taliban government’s attempt to strengthen religious, educational, and diplomatic engagement with India after years of strained ties.