India and Afghanistan convened the fourth round of the Joint Committee Meeting in New Delhi on Thursday, 9 July, reviewing the full breadth of bilateral ties across sectors including humanitarian assistance, development partnership, food security, healthcare, capacity building, education, sports, trade, visa facilitation, and connectivity. The Indian side reiterated its continued commitment to supporting the welfare and development needs of the Afghan people.

What Was Discussed

The two delegations reviewed cooperation across a wide range of areas, with the Afghan side expressing appreciation for India's sustained engagement. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that both sides reaffirmed the importance of maintaining regular consultations and agreed to remain in close contact.

'Both sides reaffirmed the importance of maintaining regular consultations and agreed to remain in close contact. The next round of the Joint Committee Meeting will be held at a mutually convenient time,' the MEA said in an official statement.

Who Led the Talks

The meeting was co-chaired by M Anand Prakash, Joint Secretary (PAI), Ministry of External Affairs, and Shuaib Baryalai, Director General, First Political Division, Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The structured format of the Joint Committee underscores the institutional continuity India has maintained with Kabul despite the changed political landscape in Afghanistan since 2021.

Ministerial Engagement on the Sidelines

A day earlier, on Wednesday, 8 July, Union Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita met Afghanistan's Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Mawlawi Ataullah Omari, in New Delhi. Discussions focused on bilateral ties and ongoing cooperation for the welfare and development of the Afghan people.

'Good to meet H.E. Mawlawi Ataullah Omari, Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock of Afghanistan, in New Delhi today. The discussions focused on India-Afghanistan bilateral relations, including ongoing cooperation for the welfare and development of the Afghan people,' Margherita wrote on X.

Omari had arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday, 7 July, for an official visit aimed at strengthening bilateral engagement.

Context: India's Position After Pakistani Airstrikes on Afghanistan

The diplomatic engagements come in the immediate aftermath of deadly Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghan territory. India had strongly condemned the strikes, in which several civilians — including women and children — were killed. New Delhi reiterated its support for Afghanistan's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

'We had strongly condemned the airstrikes that happened from Pakistan into Afghanistan, in which several civilian lives, including women and children, were lost. We had offered our condolences on the passing away of precious lives, and we had also at the same time reiterated our strong support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Afghanistan,' MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a weekly media briefing in New Delhi.

Jaiswal also noted that humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan — including medicines and development projects — remains ongoing. 'We have been sending them medicines. We have been sending them other support, and we have also been offering development projects which can bring benefit to the lives of people there, and that continues,' he added.

What Comes Next

The two sides have agreed to hold the next round of the Joint Committee Meeting at a mutually convenient time. With India's engagement spanning humanitarian aid, agricultural cooperation, and high-level diplomatic dialogue, New Delhi appears to be deepening its footprint in Kabul at a moment when Afghanistan's geopolitical isolation is growing. How far this engagement can be formalised given the Taliban's international status remains the central question.