Frustrated Pakistan Airstrikes Afghanistan's Kabul As Taliban Minister Muttaqi Arrives In Delhi For Talks: Reports

Kabul Blasts: One or more loud explosions were heard late on Thursday evening in the Afghan capital of Kabul, news agency Reuters reported, citing the Taliban administration and eyewitnesses. The report of Pakistani airstrikes on Kabul came just as Acting Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi landed in India for talks.

This is the first high-level trip from Kabul after the Taliban seized power following the collapse of the Ashraf Ghani government over four years ago.

After the sound of heavy explosions and drones was heard in Kabul, residents said that the Abdul Haq Square in the eastern part of the city has been closed off and there is heavy traffic in the area.

Islamic Emirate spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said that an investigation into… pic.twitter.com/rVWB70xwuv

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It was not immediately clear what caused the blast. Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman for the Taliban administration, said in a statement that an explosion had been heard and an investigation was underway.

He added that so far, no reports of casualties or damage had been received. Witnesses, including a Reuters witness, said they heard at least two explosions at around 9:50 pm local time.

Muttaqi India Visit

Muttaqi will hold extensive talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval during his six-day trip to India, news agency PTI reported citing people familiar with the matter. "Warm welcome to Afghan Foreign Minister, Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi on his arrival in New Delhi," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on social media.

Taliban minister gets special permit to travel to India

The Afghan foreign minister was scheduled to visit New Delhi last month but it was called off in view of a travel ban that he faced under UN Security Council (UNSC) sanctions. The UNSC committee on September 30 has approved a temporary exemption to the travel ban allowing Muttaqi to visit New Delhi from October 9 to 16, according to a statement by the UN.

Why is it a big setback for Pakistan and China?

This outreach unfolds against a backdrop of shifting South Asian dynamics, where China has emerged as a key mediator to thaw frosty Pakistan-Afghanistan relations.

Once staunch allies, Islamabad and the Taliban have clashed over the past two years, with Pakistan repeatedly accusing Kabul of sheltering the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and enabling deadly incursions across the Durand Line.

Beijing's trilateral dialogues, most recently in Kabul on August 20, 2025, have nudged both sides toward de-escalation, even as underlying tensions simmer.

For India, hosting Muttaqi signals a pragmatic pivot: balancing security concerns with economic opportunities in a volatile neighborhood.