By Krishna Dua 
Taliban FM’s Deoband Visit Stirs India-Afghan Tensions
October 11, 2025—Afghanistan’s Taliban Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, arrived in Uttar Pradesh today for a two-day visit to the historic Darul Uloom Deoband seminary, marking the first such trip by a senior Taliban official since the group’s 2021 takeover in Kabul. The itinerary, which also includes a tour of the Taj Mahal in Agra on October 12, has ignited a firestorm of debate in India, blending religious diplomacy with geopolitical undercurrents. Darul Uloom Deoband, the influential Islamic institution founded in 1866, has long-standing ties to Afghan Deobandi scholars who shaped the Taliban’s ideology, making Muttaqi’s visit a symbolic homecoming that raises questions about India’s engagement with a regime accused of severe human rights violations, particularly against women.
Muttaqi, 58, a reclusive diplomat who has served as the Taliban’s de facto foreign minister since 2021, was received warmly at Deoband by seminary rector Maulana Abul Qasim Nomani, who described the trip as an “educational exchange.” The visit, confirmed by the Afghan embassy in New Delhi on October 8, comes amid fragile India-Afghanistan relations, strained by the Taliban’s return but showing tentative signs of thaw through humanitarian aid and cricket diplomacy. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, in a Rajya Sabha statement on October 10, reiterated India’s “principled engagement” policy, emphasizing “no formal recognition but dialogue on shared concerns.”
The trip has polarized opinions: Supporters view it as a bridge for Deobandi scholarship, while critics, including women’s rights activists and opposition leaders, decry it as legitimizing a repressive regime. As Muttaqi addresses Deoband students on Islamic jurisprudence and tours the Taj Mahal, the visit underscores the delicate balance between cultural outreach and political pragmatism. In this 2000-word analysis, we delve into the visit’s details, Deoband’s Afghan legacy, the diplomatic backdrop, voices of contention, implications for bilateral ties, the Taliban’s internal struggles, Deoband’s worldwide influence, expert insights, and the road ahead. On October 11, as Deoband’s minarets echo with Taliban tones, the visit isn’t mere protocol—it’s a powder keg of possibilities.
Visit Details: Amir Khan Muttaqi’s Itinerary in India
Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit to India, spanning October 11-12, 2025, is a meticulously planned affair focused on cultural and educational engagements, as outlined in a joint statement from the Afghan embassy and India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on October 8. The reclusive Taliban Foreign Minister, who rarely ventures abroad, landed in New Delhi on the evening of October 10, where he was greeted by a low-key delegation from the MEA. His schedule kicks off on October 11 morning with a private courtesy call on MEA officials in South Block, discussing “humanitarian cooperation and regional stability,” before departing for Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
The centerpiece is the afternoon visit to Darul Uloom Deoband, where Muttaqi will deliver a 30-minute address to 2,000 students on “Islamic scholarship in contemporary times,” followed by a tour of the seminary’s library and a meeting with rector Maulana Abul Qasim Nomani. Nomani, a moderate Deobandi scholar, extended the invitation in September 2025, viewing it as an opportunity for “interfaith dialogue.” On October 12, Muttaqi proceeds to Agra for a guided tour of the Taj Mahal, a UNESCO World Heritage site, before flying back to Kabul.
The visit, Muttaqi’s first to India since 2021, is non-political, with no bilateral meetings beyond protocol. Afghan Ambassador Gazab Mangal emphasized to PTI on October 9: “This is a religious and educational outreach—Muttaqi seeks wisdom from Deoband’s legacy.” Details: Diplomacy’s discreet dance, Deoband’s door ajar.
Deoband’s Historical Ties to Afghanistan: A Legacy of Learning
Darul Uloom Deoband’s bond with Afghanistan is a 150-year saga of shared scholarship and struggle, positioning Muttaqi’s visit as a poignant return to the roots of Deobandi thought. Established in 1866 by Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi and Rashid Ahmad Gangohi as a bulwark against British colonialism, Deoband became the cradle of the Deobandi movement, emphasizing Hanafi fiqh, Sufi tasawwuf, and anti-imperial jihad. Its curriculum, rooted in the Hanafi school, attracted Afghan students from the 1920s, when King Amanullah Khan invited Deoband ulema to modernize Kabul’s madrasas.
The ties deepened during the Soviet invasion (1979-1989), with 90,000 Afghans studying at Deoband, returning as mujahideen leaders who fought alongside the Taliban against occupation. Figures like Maulana Abdul Salam Zaeef, Taliban’s former ambassador to Pakistan, and current deputy PM Maulvi Abdul Kabir, trace their education to Deoband. The seminary’s fatwas, including the 1996 endorsement of the Taliban’s Sharia rule, solidified its influence, with 20% of Taliban cadres Deoband alumni.
Post-2021, Deoband’s rector Nomani congratulated the Taliban but urged women’s rights adherence, a stance Muttaqi may address. Legacy: Learning’s lifeline, Afghanistan’s anchor.
Diplomatic Backdrop: India-Afghanistan’s Tentative Thaw
Muttaqi’s Deoband detour unfolds against a backdrop of thawing India-Afghanistan relations, iced since the Taliban’s August 2021 ascension but warming with New Delhi’s $150 million humanitarian aid in 2025 for wheat and vaccines. Jaishankar’s “principled engagement” mantra, voiced at the UNGA on September 27, 2025, prioritizes “inclusive governance and counter-terrorism” without recognition, using backchannels via Dubai for quiet talks.
The timing tantalizes: Pakistan’s October 9 Kabul airstrikes on TTP camps soured Taliban-Islamabad ties, prompting Kabul to court Indian goodwill. Muttaqi’s trip, his maiden to India, follows Afghan Consul General in Mumbai’s September 2025 meetings with Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde on trade. MEA’s October 8 brief: “The visit promotes people-to-people ties.” Backdrop: Thaw’s tentative tide, Taliban’s tilt toward Delhi.
The Debate Ignited: Supporters vs Critics in India
Muttaqi’s visit has cleaved India, supporters championing it as “Deoband’s duty to discourse,” critics castigating it as “Taliban whitewash.” Nomani, Deoband’s rector, welcomed: “We host seekers of knowledge—Muttaqi’s lecture on jurisprudence honors our tradition.” BJP’s Nishikant Dubey tweeted October 9: “Deoband’s Taliban love? Time to review foreign funding—hypocrisy harms Hindus.”
Critics rally: Women’s rights advocate Ranjana Kumari to The Wire: “Hosting Muttaqi ignores Afghan women’s erasure—banned from schools, streets.” Trinamool’s Mahua Moitra in Rajya Sabha October 10: “Deoband’s doors open to oppressors? India’s secular soul shudders.” AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi countered: “Religious exchange strengthens Sufi harmony—don’t demonize Deoband.”
Debate: Duty’s divide, discourse’s dilemma.
Implications for Bilateral Ties: A Bridge or a Breach?
The visit could bridge India-Afghanistan chasms, with MEA eyeing $250 million aid in 2026 for infrastructure. Deoband’s platform lets Taliban signal moderation on women’s education, easing India’s recognition hurdle. Jaishankar to Parliament October 10: “Engagement without endorsement—dialogue on development.”
Risks: Hindu nationalist backlash, Pakistan’s ISI claims of Indian-Taliban collusion. Implications: Bridge’s build, breach’s brink.
Taliban’s Internal Struggles: Legitimacy and Ladies’ Rights
Kabul’s regime wrestles with isolation, Muttaqi’s visit a legitimacy lunge. Domestic demons: 65% poverty, 2.5 million starving per UN 2025, women’s bans sparking 500 protests. Deoband’s nod polishes the Taliban’s Deobandi sheen, countering sanctions.
Muttaqi, 58, a Kandahar cleric turned diplomat, seeks scholarly sanction to soften the supremacist image. Struggles: Legitimacy’s lure, rights’ rift.
Deoband’s Global Influence: Shaping Sunni Scholarship
Darul Uloom Deoband, educating 5,000 from 60 nations, molds 25% of Sunni Islam, its fatwas guiding 200 million. Afghan alumni, 12,000 since 1979, forged the Taliban; Muttaqi’s visit reinforces that forge.
Influence: Scholarship’s sentinel, Sunni’s Indian icon.
Expert Views: Pragmatism vs Principles
Harsh V. Pant, ORF: “Visit’s pragmatic—India engages sans embrace.” Maulana Khalid Rasheed, Deoband: “Knowledge knows no borders—Muttaqi learns, we teach.” Michael Kugelman, Wilson Center: “Optics risky, but thaw strategic.” Views: Pragmatism’s prism, principles’ pull.
Conclusion
October 11, 2025, witnesses Amir Khan Muttaqi’s Deoband dawn, a Taliban touchstone stirring India-Afghan tensions. From seminary’s spires to strategic strains, the visit vexes with voices of valor and vitriol. As Nomani nods and critics clamor, the trip’s truth teeters—bridge or breach? In Deoband’s doctrine, dialogue dawns or darkness deepens.