Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi invites Indian investors to invest in Afghanistan

Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has invited Indian investors to invest in the country's mining and infrastructure sectors, including roads, aviation, and cited how the security situation has vastly improved in the country. Speaking to business leaders at the industry chamber FICCI, Muttaqi said, "Afghan currency has strengthened versus the dollar, property valuation has increased.." and no major security incident has been reported since the establishment of the Islamic Emirate in August 2021.

The Afghan Foreign Minister emphasised that bilateral trade has already reached $ 1 billion. Both sides are working on cargo plane air connectivity between Delhi-Kabul, Amritsar-Kabul, and Amritsar-Kandahar that will help in the transfer of fresh fruits from Afghanistan to India. Asked about the Chabahar port project's role in connectivity, he said, "it is advantageous for us," and restrictions imposed by "America should be removed".

India has been developing Iran's Chabahar Port as a strategic gateway to Afghanistan and Central Asia, bypassing Pakistan, but in September 2025, the US revoked the 2018 sanctions waiver under Trump's "maximum pressure" policy on Iran. Several Indian companies have already resumed their operations in various projects, but Indian Industry representatives highlighted that the visa remains a severe bottleneck and needs to be resolved immediately for smoother movement of businessmen.

The Afghan FM hoped that the Indian side would issue more visas to Afghans and said, "visa issuance from the Indian side should be made easy", terming it as "easy work". The Indian investors pledged more investments in the landlocked country, also known as the "heart of Asia".

The Afghan foreign minister is on his first-ever visit to India in his current capacity. On Friday, FM Muttaqi and EAM Jaishankar held talks. After the meeting, India announced the upgrading of its technical mission in Kabul to a full embassy, new humanitarian projects, and enhanced connectivity via flights and visas.