New Delhi: India on Friday cited its deepening engagement with Afghanistan ahead of an upcoming reception at the Afghan embassy in New Delhi marking the fifth anniversary of the Taliban’s takeover of the country, which is likely to be attended by senior Indian officials.Responding to a question about the reception, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal pointed to the several engagements between India and Afghanistan over the past year, including visits by Afghan ministers to India.“Regarding the Victory Days reception, yes, you have seen that in the last few months and over a year now, we have had several engagements with Afghanistan,” Jaiswal said at the bi-weekly media briefing.He said the ministerial visits had helped strengthen the bilateral partnership in development cooperation, trade and connectivity, adding that India had “long-standing ties with Afghanistan, the Afghan people” and looked forward to further strengthening them.Jaiswal did not directly confirm the presence of Indian officials at the August 17 reception. The Times of India had reported that senior Indian officials were expected to attend the event, which is being hosted by the Afghan embassy in New Delhi.The Taliban marks August 15 as “Victory Day”, commemorating its return to power in 2021, after US and North American Treaty Organisation (NATO) forces withdrew from the region.The reported participation of Indian officials comes as New Delhi has steadily expanded its engagement with the Taliban, despite not formally recognising its government.The diplomatic relations between the two countries’ representatives strengthened significantly after Afghanistan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit to India last October.Since then, three more Taliban leaders, industry minister Nooruddin Azizi, health minister Noor Jalal Jalali and agriculture minister Ataullah Omari, have visited India on separate occasions.Shortly after Muttaqi’s visit, on October 21, 2025, India upgraded its ‘technical mission’ in Kabul to an embassy in a bid to “deepen bilateral engagement” with Afghanistan. New Delhi had evacuated its diplomatic personnel and closed its embassy in Kabul after the Taliban took over Kabul in August 2021.The relationship has since focused on development assistance, trade and connectivity, as well as security concerns. India has said its development partnership with Afghanistan includes more than 500 projects across all 34 provinces, covering power, water supply, healthcare, education, agriculture and capacity building.New Delhi has also increased its financial assistance to Afghanistan, allocating Rs 150 crore in the Union budget for 2026-27.The expansion of ties has taken place despite continuing international criticism of the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls. The Taliban has barred women and girls from secondary and higher education and imposed sweeping restrictions on their employment, movement and participation in public life.