Taliban to host first public 'Victory Day' reception in India

Five years after storming to power in Afghanistan, the Taliban regime is set to host its first ever public reception in India next week to mark the anniversary of its "Victory Day", reflecting the broadening engagement between the two sides.

Taliban's Delhi envoy to host 17 August reception

The "celebration and reception" on 17 August is being hosted by Noor Ahmed Noor, the Taliban's chargé d'affaires at the Afghan embassy in New Delhi, and the event is expected to be attended by diplomats, prominent members of society, members of the Afghan diaspora and the media. "The reception will be like other events that used to be hosted by the Afghan embassy before the fall of the Ashraf Ghani government in August 2021. It will be different as it is the first event being hosted in New Delhi by the Taliban," a person familiar with the matter said.

The Indian government is expected to be represented at the event, though it was not immediately clear exactly who will attend the reception, a second person said. The Indian side, which like most other countries doesn't officially recognise the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, is expected to keep a close eye on diplomatic symbols used at the reception, such as the flag. The formal invitation for the event referred to Noor as the chargé d'affaires of the "Embassy of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" in India.

Over the past few months, Noor — who usually keeps a low profile — has been spotted at a handful of diplomatic receptions hosted by various countries in New Delhi. The upcoming reception will be his first major public engagement, the people said.

Taliban envoy's public profile grows in New Delhi

Noor, the first Taliban-appointed official posted in the Indian capital since the group took control of Afghanistan, arrived in the country in January. Since then, he has interacted with officials of the external affairs ministry on several occasions, reflecting India's deepening engagement with the Taliban to secure its interests in Afghanistan. He earlier served as director general of the first political department at the foreign ministry in Kabul and was part of the delegation that accompanied Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on his visit to India last October.

It was during Muttaqi's visit — the first by a senior Taliban functionary to India — that New Delhi agreed to allow the group to post its diplomats in the Capital. Two other Taliban officials posted to India — Ikramuddin Kamil and Habibur Rahman Aftab — currently head the Afghan consulates in Mumbai and Hyderabad.

India-Taliban engagement expands after Muttaqi visit

Following Muttaqi's visit, India decided to upgrade the status of the "technical mission" in Kabul to a full-fledged embassy. At the time, the external affairs ministry said its decision "underscores India's resolve to deepen bilateral engagement" with Afghanistan.

Since Muttaqi's visit, three more Taliban leaders have travelled to India to discuss cooperation in different areas — industry minister Nooruddin Azizi in November 2025, health minister Noor Jalal Jalali in December 2025, and agriculture minister Ataullah Omari in July this year.

India allocated ₹150 crore for Afghanistan in budget for 2026-27. India has provided humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and backed it during recent tensions with Pakistan.