Afghanistan’s Taliban government has named its first senior representative in India since the movement returned to power in 2021, tasking him with heading the embassy in New Delhi.

India has not formally recognized the Taliban administration, but the step signals deepening engagement, as New Delhi looks to exploit widening rifts between Islamabad and Kabul.

Noor Ahmad Noor, a Taliban foreign ministry official, took charge as charge d’affaires and has already met Indian officials, the embassy said in a statement.

“Both sides emphasized the importance of strengthening Afghanistan–India relations,” the Afghan Embassy said in a post on X late Monday.

India has not commented, but the Afghan embassy shared a photograph of Noor with senior Indian foreign ministry official Anand Prakash.

The Taliban’s strict interpretation of Islamic law may seem an unlikely fit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government, but India has sought to seize the opening.

Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan fought a brief but deadly clash in May 2025, their worst confrontation in decades.

The appointment is significant for the Taliban, which has sought to reassert control over Afghanistan’s overseas diplomatic missions as part of a broader drive for international legitimacy.

In October, India said it would upgrade its technical mission in Afghanistan to a full embassy.

Russia is the only country to officially recognize the Afghan Taliban government.