A delegation of Afghan Hindus and Sikhs met Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi at the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi on Monday, marking another step in his week-long India visit aimed at strengthening bilateral engagement.

Supported by the Afghan Minority Council and the Indian World Forum, members of the minority community honoured Muttaqi with a traditional Afghan turban and shawl. The meeting highlighted both cultural and economic concerns shared by Afghan expatriates.

Afghan businessman Noorula said the delegation discussed business challenges, visa issues, and difficulties caused by Pakistan’s closure of key trade routes, including the Wagah and Attari borders. “We hope these issues are resolved soon,” he told IANS.

Muttaqi’s visit has included multiple high-profile interactions. On Sunday, he spoke at the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), where Indian experts and scholars engaged with him on Afghanistan’s relations with India. His reference to Rabindranath Tagore’s Kabuliwala drew a warm response from the audience, VIF said in a post on X.

A day earlier, Muttaqi became the first senior Taliban official to visit the historic Darul Uloom Deoband in Uttar Pradesh, holding discussions with Islamic scholars. The seminary holds deep symbolic importance for the Taliban, whose ideological roots trace back to Deobandi teachings.

On Friday, he met External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi. The two leaders discussed India’s ongoing development assistance, trade, and humanitarian support to Afghanistan. Jaishankar described the visit as an “important step” in advancing bilateral ties and announced the donation of five ambulances to Afghanistan.