India told the UN Security Council it was calling for “pragmatic engagement” with the Taliban, as Delhi stressed that a focus only on punitive measures would ensure a “business as usual” approach.
Addressing the UN Security Council meeting on the situation in Afghanistan on Wednesday (December 10, 2025), India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, said India called on the UN and the international community to adopt nuanced policy instruments to help bring sustainable benefits to the people of Afghanistan.
“India is calling for pragmatic engagement with the Taliban. A coherent policy of engagement should prompt positive action. Focusing only on punitive measures will ensure that the ‘business as usual’ approach we have seen for the past four and a half years now continues,” Harish said.
He reiterated India’s commitment to meeting the developmental needs of the people of Afghanistan.
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Mr Harish said the Indian government’s recent decision to restore the status of Delhi’s technical mission in Kabul to that of an embassy “underlines that decision”. “We will continue to work with all stakeholders to increase our contribution to Afghanistan’s comprehensive development, humanitarian assistance and capacity-building initiatives in line with the priorities and aspirations of Afghan society,” he said.
Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was in New Delhi on a six-day visit in October, the first senior Taliban minister to visit India since the group seized power in Kabul in 2021.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held wide-ranging talks with Mr Muttaq during which he announced the elevation of the Delhi Technical Mission in Kabul to an embassy and pledged to resume its development work in Afghanistan.
India withdrew its officials from its embassy in Kabul after the Taliban took power in August 2021.
In June 2022, India re-established its diplomatic presence in the Afghan capital by deploying a “technical team”.
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“India continues to closely monitor the security situation in Afghanistan,” Harish said.
India calls for united action against terrorist threats
He stressed that the international community must coordinate efforts to ensure that entities and individuals designated by the UN Security Council – ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) and Al-Qaeda and their affiliates, including Lashkar e Tayyiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed and LeT proxies such as The Redulsation Front – are already allowed to cross borders within their Resistance Front (TRF). terrorism.
India reiterated the concern of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) over the airstrikes and condemned the killing of innocent women, children and cricketers in Afghanistan.
“We also note with grave concern the practices of ‘trade and transit terrorism’ that the people of Afghanistan are subjected to by cynically closing access to a landlocked country whose people have been suffering from numerous debilitating conditions for many years,” Harish said.
“These actions are contrary to WTO (World Trade Organization) norms. Such open threats and acts of war against a fragile and vulnerable nation of LLDCs (Land-Locked Developing Countries) struggling to rebuild under difficult circumstances are a clear violation of the UN Charter and international law,” he said.
“While we condemn such acts, at the same time we strongly support the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Afghanistan,” he added.
Mr. Harish said India has been a strong supporter of peace and stability in Afghanistan over the years.
“Coordinated regional and international cooperation on key issues concerning Afghanistan is paramount, as is the strong engagement of relevant parties in promoting peace, stability and development in the country,” he said.
Mr. Harish added that providing humanitarian assistance and building the capacity of the Afghan people have always remained India’s priorities.
“India already has more than 500 development partnership projects in all provinces,” he said.
As decided during Mr. Muttaqi’s recent visit to Delhi, he will further deepen his involvement in development cooperation projects, particularly in the health, public infrastructure and capacity building sectors.
“We will continue to work with UN agencies in critical areas such as health, food security, education and sports,” Harish said.
The Indian envoy said the visit of Afghan Minister of Industry and Commerce Alhaji Nooruddin Azizi to India also helped further cooperation in connectivity, trade facilitation and market access.
Mr. Azizi visited India along with a trade delegation from November 19 to 25.
Published – 11 Dec 2025 11:03 IST
