The Taliban is set to hold its first public “Victory Day” reception in India on August 17, marking five years since the group returned to power in Afghanistan. The event in New Delhi is being seen as another indication of the steadily expanding engagement between India and the Taliban administration, even though New Delhi, like most countries, has not formally recognised the regime in Kabul.
The reception will be hosted by Noor Ahmed Noor, the Taliban-appointed chargé d’affaires at the Afghan embassy in New Delhi. Diplomats, members of the Afghan community, prominent personalities and representatives of the media are expected to attend the gathering. According to people familiar with the preparations, the event is expected to resemble receptions traditionally organised by the Afghan embassy before the fall of the Ashraf Ghani government in August 2021. However, its significance lies in the fact that this will be the first such major public programme organised in the Indian capital by the Taliban since its takeover of Afghanistan.
Indian government representatives are also expected to be present, although details about the officials who may attend have not been disclosed. The Indian side is likely to carefully observe the diplomatic symbolism associated with the programme, including the manner in which Afghanistan is represented and the flag displayed at the venue. The invitation for the reception identifies Noor as the chargé d’affaires of the “Embassy of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan”, reflecting the terminology used by the Taliban administration.
Noor, who has largely maintained a low public profile since arriving in India in January, has gradually increased his diplomatic interactions in New Delhi. He is the first Taliban-appointed representative posted to the Indian capital after the group regained control of Afghanistan. Since taking up his assignment, he has met officials of India’s Ministry of External Affairs on several occasions as New Delhi has sought to maintain engagement with Kabul and safeguard its strategic and security interests in Afghanistan.
Before being posted to New Delhi, Noor served as director general of the first political department in Afghanistan’s foreign ministry. He was also part of the Taliban delegation accompanying Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi during his visit to India last October. That visit was particularly significant as it marked the first trip to India by a senior Taliban functionary and was followed by New Delhi allowing the Taliban to appoint diplomatic representatives in the country. Two other Taliban officials, Ikramuddin Kamil and Habibur Rahman Aftab, are currently heading the Afghan consulates in Mumbai and Hyderabad respectively.
India’s engagement with the Taliban has expanded considerably since Muttaqi’s visit. New Delhi subsequently upgraded its diplomatic presence in Kabul, converting its earlier technical mission into a full-fledged embassy. At the time, the Ministry of External Affairs said the move demonstrated India’s intention to strengthen bilateral engagement with Afghanistan.
Several other Taliban ministers have also travelled to India in recent months. Industry Minister Nooruddin Azizi visited in November 2025, followed by Health Minister Noor Jalal Jalali in December. Agriculture Minister Ataullah Omari travelled to India in July this year. Their visits have focused on expanding cooperation across different sectors and indicate that contact between the two sides is no longer limited to diplomatic or humanitarian channels.
India has simultaneously continued humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. The Union Budget for 2026-27 allocated ₹150 crore for the country, while New Delhi has also provided humanitarian support to the Afghan people. India has further backed Afghanistan during its recent tensions with Pakistan, underlining the importance New Delhi attaches to maintaining a working relationship with Kabul.
The planned reception therefore comes against the backdrop of a gradual but carefully calibrated shift in India-Taliban relations. While New Delhi continues to stop short of formally recognising the Taliban government, its decision to engage with Taliban-appointed diplomats, receive senior ministers and strengthen its diplomatic presence in Kabul points to a pragmatic approach driven by strategic, humanitarian and regional considerations. The August 17 event is expected to provide another public indication of how far that engagement has progressed since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
