ISLAMABAD, 19 Nov 2025: The Minister of Industry and Commerce of Afghanistan, Nooruddin Azizi, (also spelled Noureddine Azizi), is arriving in New Delhi today, November 19, 2025, for a five-day official visit.
The visit follows the October 2025 trip by Afghan Foreign
Minister Maulavi Amir Khan Muttaqi, which laid the groundwork for expanded
economic ties.
Azizi is traveling with a large delegation to focus on
strengthening bilateral trade amid Afghanistan's tensions with Pakistan, which
have disrupted traditional overland routes. He is expected to meet Indian
officials to boost bilateral trade, expand exports and imports, and explore new
economic routes.
Azizi has also reassured Afghan farmers that he is working
to open direct routes for exporting agricultural products to India — a critical
step as the country looks for alternatives.
It’s been nearly 35 days since Pakistan shut all trade
routes with Afghanistan, prompting the Taliban to retaliate by cutting trade
ties with Pakistan as well.
Jan Achakzai, a former Balochistan government spokesman, said
Pakistan faces an unmistakable, slow-burning strategic encirclement, and the Afghan
Taliban’s red-carpet romance with India is pouring fuel on fire.
‘Every time a Taliban minister lands in New Delhi for
“medical treatment,” “trade talks,” or photo-ops, he is not just collecting
frequent-flyer miles. He is tightening the noose around Pakistan’s western
flank.’
Nooruddin Azizi said in a recent meeting with traders and
industrialists that without absolute guarantees for keeping trade routes open,
Afghanistan will have no trade with Pakistan.
Many are questioning whether the visit marks a new economic
alignment is taking shape in the region. But many believe this would further infuriate
Pakistan, who did not take the Afghan Foreign Minister’s visit to India well.
Pakistan has not yet made any comment about the latest visit.
Senior journalist Sami Yousafzai wrote on his X account that;
‘Amir Khan Motaqi’s trip last month was only the beginning — that diplomatic wound for Pakistan is far from healed. Now, another senior Taliban minister is heading to India, signaling a major regional shift as Pakistan rapidly loses its grip on Afghanistan.’
India is Afghanistan's second-largest export market after
Pakistan, and trade has tilted in Afghanistan's favor post-2021: Indian exports
dropped from $825 million (2020-21) to $355 million (2023-24), while imports
from Afghanistan (mostly agricultural) have risen steadily.
Expected outcomes include deeper discussions on these routes and potential agreements to revive pre-2021 trade volumes, which spanned pharmaceuticals, textiles, and machinery from India.
In October 2025, Muttaqi's visit led to India upgrading its Technical Mission in Kabul to full Embassy status, announced by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. This aims to expand humanitarian aid, development projects, and capacity-building.
A US based online publication The National Interest wrote in a piece that Afghanistan’s break with Pakistan has created a strategic window for India.
‘Afghanistan’s trade and diplomacy are shifting in unexpected ways that reflect broader regional realignments. Four years after India shut its Kabul embassy following the Taliban’s return, bilateral trade has nearly rebounded to pre-2021 levels—even as Afghanistan’s trade through Pakistan collapses.’
This reversal highlights India’s quiet re-emergence as an economic and diplomatic player, a trend that increasingly links Afghanistan’s revival to India’s wider westward strategic turn, with Kabul serving as New Delhi’s gateway to Central Asia.
New Delhi aims to regain influence lost in 2021 and prevent Afghanistan from tilting fully toward Beijing or Islamabad. For the Taliban, India offers investment and a counterweight to Pakistan.
Ultimately, India’s engagement with Afghanistan—as both a trading partner and transit ally—constitutes more than a tactical adjustment; it signifies a substantive strategic commitment. Hence, Pakistan will have to be very conscious of the situation, and not push Taliban towards India.
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