New Delhi:

Scripting a new chapter in regional dynamics, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday spoke with the Taliban’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi over an official phone call. The call assumes significance as it is the first ministerial-level outreach by India to Afghanistan’s Taliban administration.

Dr Jaishankar’s call to Mr Muttaqi comes days after Afghanistan’s Taliban regime, which New Delhi is yet to officially recognise, condemned the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 civilians, all tourists, were killed by Pakistan-linked terrorists in a religiously-motivated attack in Jammu and Kashmir.

‘MINISTERIAL-LEVEL TALKS – A FIRST WITH TALIBAN’

In a post on social media platform X shortly after the phone call, Dr Jaishankar wrote, “Good conversation with Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi this evening. Deeply appreciate his condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist attack.” He added that during the discussion he “underlined our (India’s) traditional friendship with the Afghan people and continuing support for their development needs. Discussed ways and means of taking cooperation forward.”

‘A REBUTTAL TO PAKISTAN’

Countering Pakistan’s false narrative of linking the Taliban to the incidents in Jammu and Kashmir and India’s response to it, Dr Jaishankar wrote that he welcomed Mr Muttaqi’s “firm rejection of recent attempts to create distrust between India and Afghanistan through false and baseless reports” in the Pakistani media.

Good conversation with Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi this evening.

Deeply appreciate his condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

Welcomed his firm rejection of recent attempts to create distrust between India and Afghanistan through false and…

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) May 15, 2025

‘IMPORTANCE OF IRAN’S CHABAHAR PORT’

According to Taliban’s Director of Communication Hafiz Zia Ahmad, during the call, Mr Muttaqi asked Dr Jaishankar to provide more visas to Afghan nationals, especially to those seeking medical attention. He also mentioned that bilateral trade, release and return of Afghan prisoners in Indian jails, and development of the Chabahar Port in Iran were discussed.

The senior Taliban official shared a series of posts in the Pashto language, which broadly listed what was discussed between the two ministers.

د ا.ا.ا. د بهرنیو چارو وزیر محترم مولوي امیر خان متقي او د هند جمهوریت د بهرنیو چارو وزیر ښاغلي جې شنکر ټيلیفوني خبرې وکړې.
په دې مکالمه کې د دوو اړخیزو اړیکو پر پیاوړتیا، تجارت او د دیپلوماتیکو اړیکو د کچې پر لوړولو خبرې وشوې. pic.twitter.com/weErRrvARu

— Hafiz Zia Ahmad (@HafizZiaAhmad) May 15, 2025

او ناروغانو ته د هند د ویزو په ورکړه کې د اسانتیاوو او په هند کې د افغان بندیانو د خلاصېدو او هیواد ته د راستنولو غوښتنه وکړه.

د هند د بهرنیو چارو وزیر ښاغلي جې شنکر هم له افغانستان سره د هند اړیکې تاریخي وبللې او زیاته یې کړه، چې هېواد به يې له افغانستان سره خپلو همکاریو ته…

— Hafiz Zia Ahmad (@HafizZiaAhmad) May 15, 2025

Discussion on Chabahar Port assumes importance at a time when India and Pakistan have completely ended all trade ties and closed its border posts in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack. Being a land-locked country, Afghanistan feels the impact, as it depends on land routes via Pakistan to reach India. 

India and Afghanistan share a land border too, but that has remained cut-off by Pakistan-occupied Kashmir or PoK since 1947. The only other option for trade is via the Chabahar Port in Iran.

‘FOSTERING TIES WITH THE TALIBAN’

India and the Taliban administration have been taking steps to strengthen ties since August 2021, when the regime came to power after US’ withdrawal from Afghanistan. Over the years, a series of meetings between Indian diplomats and Taliban officials have worked towards broader cooperation between the two countries which have shared historic ties.

Though ties have not yet normalised, India’s policy towards Afghanistan under the Taliban regime has been focused on providing humanitarian aid and the well-being of Afghan citizens. Diplomatic initiatives have also been ongoing towards bringing normalcy to ties.

As recently as April 27 this year, days after the Pahalgam terror attack, senior Indian diplomat Anand Prakash visited Kabul as tensions peaked between New Delhi and Islamabad over “cross-border terror links”. Mr Prakash held a meeting with Mr Muttaqi during the visit.

‘DIPLOMATIC ENGAGEMENTS’

Other key visits by senior Indian diplomats include those by Mr JP Singh, who visited Afghanistan twice last year – in March to meet acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, and in November to meet the acting defence minister Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid. Both meetings happened in Kabul.

Besides the meetings in Afghanistan, a high-level meeting also took place in Dubai in January this year, when foreign secretary Vikram Misri, along with an Indian delegation met Taliban’s acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and an Afghan delegation. The two leaders held wide-ranging bilateral talks, including on Chabahar Port.

The meeting in Dubai was aimed at bolstering cooperation over humanitarian aid, developmental assistance, trade, commerce, sports, cultural ties, regional security, and projects of national interest.

‘CONFIDENCE-BUILDING MEASURES’

In recent times, the Government of India has also permitted the Taliban to gradually take control of the Afghan missions in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad in order to provide consular services to its nationals in India and assist those coming from Afghanistan to India on business or to study, or get medical care.

In terms of humanitarian aid, New Delhi had, till December 2024, dispatched several shipments consisting of more than 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat, 300 tonnes of medicines, 27 tonnes of earthquake relief aid, 40,000 litres of pesticides, 100 million polio doses, 1.5 million doses of the Covid vaccine, 11,000 units of hygiene kits for the drug de-addiction programme, 500 units of winter clothing and 1.2 tonnes of stationery kits, over the past few years.
 

An unusual scene unfolded inside a courtroom of the Supreme Court on Thursday when a man, convicted of rape and sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment, exchanged flowers with the survivor as the two expressed willingness to marry each other. 

Asked to do so by justices BV Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma, the accused first proposed to the survivor, and the two gave flowers to each other amid applause from those present in the room. 

The developments came after the top court noted that the man and woman had “unequivocally” decided to get married. It subsequently suspended the prison term that was awarded to the man by the Madras High Court last year. 

“The details of their marriage shall be worked out by their respective parents and we hope
that the marriage takes place as expeditiously as possible. In the above circumstances, we suspend the sentence and release the petitioner on bail,” the court said in its order. 

The judges said the man shall return to prison but be produced before the Sessions Court as early as possible. “The concerned Sessions Court shall release him on bail, subject to such conditions as it may deem appropriate to impose,” their order said. 

Details Of Rape Case

The case dates back to 2021, when the woman accused the man of repeatedly raping her since 2016 under the false pretence of promise of marriage. According to the First Information Report (FIR) registered against the man, the couple met on Facebook. The woman was a friend of the sister’s accused, it said. 

It said the two gradually entered into a physical relationship. The man continuously assured the woman of marrying her. However, when the woman finally asked her partner to marry her, he refused, citing his mother’s disapproval of the relationship. 

As the woman approached a cops, a trial court on September 5 last year convicted the man of repeated rape and fraud. It awarded him 10 years of rigorous imprisonment under section 376(2)(N) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for repeated rape, and two years of prison under section 417 of IPC for fraud. 

The accused approached the Madras High Court but failed to get any relief, prompting him to knock on the doors of the Supreme Court. The survivor was represented by advocate Nikhil Jain in the top court.

Matter Initially Heard In Judge’s Chamber

The court said that taking into consideration the “sensitivity” of the matter, it initially directed both the parties as well as their parents and counsels to make an appearance in the chamber.

“They have appeared before us in Chamber in the pre-lunch Session. We heard them. We passed over the matter so as to enable the petitioner and respondent No.2 (parties) to have a dialogue and inform the Court as to whether they are inclined to get engaged and be married to each other. In the post-lunch Session, the matter was again called in the Court hall,” the order said. 

“Having regard to the aforesaid developments, the matter is adjourned to 25.07.2025. The matter shall be treated as part-heard,” it added, as it posted the next hearing for July 25.

Global nuclear watchdog IAEA has said there was no radiation leak or release from any nuclear facility in Pakistan during the country’s recent military conflict with India.

The International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) statement came amid claims being made on social media that Pakistan’s nuclear facilities were hit by Indian armed forces during Operation Sindoor.

“Based on information available to the IAEA, there has been no radiation leak or release from any nuclear facility in Pakistan,” an IAEA spokesperson told PTI.

Earlier, Air Marshal A K Bharti, Director General of Air Operations, rejected suggestions that India hit Kirana Hills, home to Pakistan’s nuclear installations.

“We have not hit Kirana Hills, whatever is there,” Air Marshal Bharti said at a media briefing on May 12.

India’s strikes hit an airbase in Sargodha and there were some reports that the base is linked to an underground nuclear storage facility in Kirana Hills.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also rejected US President Donald Trump’s claims of having averted a nuclear conflict between the two nations.

He said India’s military action was in the conventional domain and denied speculation about a nuclear war. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)