New Delhi: For the first time, Afghanistan’s embassy in New Delhi on Monday (August 17) hosted a celebration marking the Taliban’s return to power, with the chargé d’affaires appointed by Kabul invoking a deepening Afghanistan-India relationship while speaking in front of the Taliban’s white flag bearing black Islamic inscriptions, and an Indian foreign ministry official attending as the chief guest.Mufti Noor Ahmad Noor, the Taliban-appointed chargé d’affaires at the Afghan embassy, delivered a speech at the reception marking the fifth anniversary of what the Taliban calls its “Victory Day” – which falls on August 15 – when the insurgent group seized Kabul in 2021 following the withdrawal of US and NATO forces.Anand Prakash, the joint secretary in charge of the Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran division in the Ministry of External Affairs, was the chief guest at the event. The reception was also attended by diplomats from countries in Afghanistan’s neighbourhood, including Iran, Central Asian nations and Arab states.“For centuries, Afghanistan and India have remained connected through trade, transit, sports and a shared cultural heritage,” Noor said in his speech delivered in Pashto, referring to the historical links between the two countries and describing their shared past as a source of inspiration for the future.Noor stood next to the Taliban’s white-and-black flag on the dais and a large screen carrying the words “5th Anniversary of the Victory Day” and the theme “From Victory to Regional Economic Connectivity”.“The ancient cities of Afghanistan, such as Kabul, Herat and Kandahar, welcomed Indian traders and caravans, while Indian cities such as Delhi and Lahore benefited from the influence of Afghan scholars, poets and Sufis. In the political sphere as well, the two countries influenced one another in their struggles for freedom and independence from British colonial rule,” he said.Asserting that bilateral relations had made “significant progress” in recent years, he pointed to expanded diplomatic contacts, “more active” embassies and consulates and continued exchanges of high-level delegations.“At the same time, constructive understanding has developed in the areas of political, economic and humanitarian cooperation.”He argued that stronger political trust, economic partnership and continued engagement between the two countries would contribute not only to bilateral ties but also to regional stability and connectivity.Noor also thanked the Indian government for their position on Afghanistan’s “international rights”.“We thank the leadership of India and the Minister of External Affairs, Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, for their support in protecting and respecting the international rights of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,” Noor said. He added that Kabul appreciated India’s emphasis at international forums on the need to ensure Afghanistan’s “legitimate international rights”.Monday’s reception was the first public event of its kind held by the Afghan embassy since the Taliban’s takeover. The mission had continued to operate under diplomats appointed by Afghanistan’s former Islamic Republic after the Taliban seized power in August 2021, and later by Afghan consuls general who had engaged with the Taliban’s foreign ministry without formally representing it.That changed after Kabul’s appointment of Noor, who arrived in New Delhi in January this year to take charge as the first Taliban-appointed diplomat to head the Afghan embassy. His appointment followed then-Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit to India in October 2025, the first ministerial visit to the country by a Taliban official since the group’s return to power.The embassy’s main flagpole, however, had continued to fly the former republic’s tricolour rather than the Taliban’s white flag, reflecting India’s policy of not recognising the Taliban government.The Taliban flag had appeared in the backdrop at some embassy events, including during Muttaqi’s press conference. But Monday’s event was notable for its prominent display as the embassy itself marked the Taliban’s takeover anniversary, with Indian officials among those attending.India’s engagement with Kabul has deepened over a period in which Afghanistan’s relations with Pakistan have sharply deteriorated.Muttaqi’s first visit to India coincided with the outbreak of the worst fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan since the Taliban’s takeover, after Pakistan conducted air strikes on Kabul and border guards exchanged fire.A ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkey that month collapsed by late February, when Pakistan launched further strikes on Kabul and Kandahar, including a March strike on a drug rehabilitation centre that killed more than 100 people. Chinese-mediated talks in Urumqi in April produced another fragile truce, but cross-border strikes and clashes have continued since, including Afghan drone strikes into Pakistan’s Balochistan in July and renewed Pakistani air strikes and shelling reported through the month.New Delhi has increasingly voiced support for Afghanistan amid the conflict. In February, the Ministry of External Affairs condemned Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan territory and backed Afghanistan’s “sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence”. In March, after the Pakistani airstrike on Kabul’s Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital, the ministry described it as a “barbaric” attack.Turning to the broader record of the Taliban’s five years in power, Noor described August 15 as an important day in Afghanistan’s contemporary history and said it marked “the beginning of a new chapter”.“We have left the chapter of war behind and embarked on a new chapter in which Afghanistan, under prudent and unified leadership and within the framework of the Islamic system, has been taking steps towards stability, reconstruction, economic growth and the expansion of relations with the world on the basis of mutual respect,” he said.He claimed the implementation of Sharia, strengthened security, independent decision-making and stability as among the Taliban administration’s main achievements over the past five years.Noor devoted considerable attention to economic development and regional connectivity, saying the government’s focus had shifted from managing war towards strengthening the rule of law, expanding diplomatic and economic relations, reconstruction and public services.He cited infrastructure development, transport corridors and investment in energy, mining and agriculture, along with regional projects including TAPI and CASA-1000. He said progress on such projects, along with efforts to attract domestic and foreign investment, would provide the foundations for Afghanistan’s economic growth and regional connectivity.He also argued that Afghanistan’s geography should be used to facilitate cooperation rather than competition.“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan believes that Afghanistan’s geography should not be a field for negative competition, but rather a bridge for connectivity, cooperation and shared prosperity,” Noor said, pointing to efforts to expand regional economic and transit cooperation and facilitate trade.On foreign policy, Noor said Kabul was seeking relations based on “balanced engagement, mutual respect, non-interference and shared interests”.“Afghanistan seeks to maintain positive, constructive, pragmatic and sustainable relations with all countries and believes that the most effective way to address existing challenges is through understanding, engagement and practical cooperation,” he said.The fifth anniversary has also brought renewed criticism, particularly from Western governments and rights groups, over the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls, although the pressure has been accompanied by limited, but growing, engagement with Kabul.In a statement issued on August 15 to mark five years since the Taliban takeover, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said that the reduction in conflict had brought tangible benefits for many Afghans and created opportunities for recovery and development, but warned that Afghanistan’s future depended on “inclusive progress and sustained international engagement”.UNAMA called on the Taliban authorities to lift restrictions on women and girls and allow their full participation in education, employment and public life, warning that the restrictions were imposing serious social and economic costs on the country and causing immediate and long-term harm.The UN’s cultural agency UNESCO said this month that an estimated 2.4 million Afghan girls remained barred from secondary school, a figure that has grown by 200,000 over the past year. It described Afghanistan “the only country in the world where girls and women are formally banned from secondary and higher education”.