In a go to wealthy with symbolism and diplomacy, Afghanistan’s appearing International Minister, Maulana Amir Khan Muttaqi, travelled to the famend Darul Uloom Deoband seminary in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district on Saturday. This marks his first go to to India because the Taliban’s return to energy in 2021, underscoring each non secular ties and a possible thaw in India-Taliban relations.
The seminary rolled out an elaborate welcome for Muttaqi, who arrived in Deoband round midday after departing Delhi earlier within the morning. A bunch of 15 outstanding Ulema (Islamic students) have been appointed to obtain him, and heavy safety was deployed throughout the area in coordination with state and nationwide businesses.
Darul Uloom’s rector, Maulana Mufti Abul Qasim Nomani, led the welcome ceremony. College students and college showered flower petals on the Afghan minister, whereas many gathered to take selfies and movies of the uncommon high-profile go to.
Contained in the establishment’s central library, Muttaqi participated in a proper scholarly session beneath the steerage of Maulana Nomani, the place he studied a Hadith (Prophetic custom). He later requested and was granted permission to show Hadith, receiving a Sanad (certificates of authority). This confers upon him the tutorial title “Qasmi”, a prestigious recognition linking him to the historic seminary. He’s now formally entitled to make use of the title Maulana Amir Khan Muttaqi Qasmi.
Reconnecting With Alma Mater
Talking on the occasion, Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind president Maulana Arshad Madani remarked, “We share an academic and tutorial relationship with Afghanistan. He has come to go to his alma mater, and after that, he’ll maintain discussions with us.”
Muttaqi expressed gratitude for the nice and cozy hospitality, calling it a second of pleasure and significance. “I’m grateful for such a grand welcome and the love proven by the individuals right here. I hope that India-Afghanistan ties advance additional. We can be sending new diplomats, and I hope you individuals will go to Kabul as properly,” he mentioned, including that the reception in Delhi and Deoband gave him hope for stronger bilateral relations. “The way forward for India-Afghanistan relations appears very vivid.”
#WATCH | Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh | Afghan FM Amir Khan Muttaqi says, “The journey has been excellent to this point. Not simply the individuals of Darul Uloom, however all individuals of the world have come right here. I’m grateful to them for the nice and cozy welcome they prolonged to me… I’m grateful to the… pic.twitter.com/TQ7dUwRqPU
— ANI (@ANI) October 11, 2025
Diplomatic Undertones
Muttaqi is probably the most senior Taliban official to go to India because the group regained management of Afghanistan following the withdrawal of US forces in 2021. He arrived in Delhi on Thursday from Russia and met with Indian Exterior Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar on Friday. His six-day go to is seen as a major gesture in India’s cautious engagement with the Taliban regime, which remains to be not formally recognised by New Delhi or many of the worldwide group.
Whereas the go to holds political weight, Muttaqi himself has burdened its deeper which means. “Deoband is a significant centre for the Islamic world. Afghanistan and Deoband share a long-standing connection. We would like our college students to proceed coming right here for spiritual schooling, simply as they do for engineering and science,” he mentioned.
Historic Significance Of Darul Uloom Deoband
Based within the late nineteenth century by Islamic students together with Sayyid Muhammad Abid, Fazlur Rahman Usmani, Mahtab Ali Deobandi and Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi, Darul Uloom Deoband has lengthy been a number one centre for Islamic studying in South Asia. The seminary is devoted to the instructing of manqulat, spiritual sciences primarily based on the Quran and Hadith.
In accordance with the seminary’s official information, it now consists of 34 departments and has over 4,000 college students enrolled as of 2020. College students bear an eight-year course to earn the diploma of ‘Maulana’ and should select to specialise additional in topics like Hadith, Fatwa, Tafseer (Quranic exegesis), literature, English or laptop research.
Curiously, the curriculum additionally contains weekly classes on Hindu faith and philosophy to assist college students develop a extra complete understanding of India’s various cultural and spiritual panorama.
Afghanistan’s Deep Ties To Deoband
Darul Uloom Deoband holds vital affect amongst Afghan spiritual circles. Many Taliban leaders revere the seminary, and its ideological footprint may be traced to establishments like Darul Uloom Haqqania in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, based by Maulana Abdul Haq, a Deoband alumnus. His son, Sami-ul-Haq, generally known as the “Father of the Taliban”, performed a significant position in shaping the spiritual and political philosophy of the motion.
“The place and its individuals have a protracted historical past with Afghanistan,” Muttaqi reiterated throughout his go to. “Deoband is a major spiritual centre for us.”
A Strategic And Symbolic Gesture
Whereas diplomatic engagements between India and the Taliban have remained restricted, this go to indicators a willingness to take care of communication channels. The cease at Deoband, nonetheless, transcends geopolitics, reinforcing centuries-old instructional and spiritual bonds between India and Afghanistan.
For the Taliban overseas minister, the go to was not merely a return to his non secular roots but additionally a possibility to foster goodwill and cultural diplomacy in a area vital to the way forward for India-Afghanistan relations.