A screengrab of a video on X showing the guard of honour for Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
Credit: X/@Benarasiyaa
The Uttar Pradesh police provided a guard of honour to Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi during his visit to Darul Uloom Deoband in Saharanpur on October 11.
Such honours are usually reserved for senior government dignitaries, making this an unusual gesture. Critics quickly pointed out the irony, noting that the Yogi Adityanath government had previously arrested residents for expressing support for the Taliban on social media. The move has sparked off a debate over whether the State’s approach aligns with its own policies on extremism.
Reception at Deoband
Muttaqi, representing Afghanistan’s Taliban regime, arrived under tight security. Crowds greeted him with chants and floral bouquets as he entered the seminary. During his visit, he met Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind president Maulana Arshad Madani and other senior scholars. He was awarded a Hadith Sanad, which conferred the honorary title 'Qasmi', linking him symbolically to the seminary’s intellectual heritage. Muttaqi expressed his gratitude to the seminary and India for the hospitality and spoke optimistically about opening “a new chapter” in India–Afghanistan relations, underlining the potential for future engagement.
Contradictions in UP government policy
The guard of honour has raised eyebrows because it appears to contradict the State government’s past stance toward Taliban sympathies. In 2021, several individuals were arrested in Uttar Pradesh for social media posts considered supportive of the Taliban. At the time, Adityanath emphasised his administration’s zero-tolerance approach toward extremism, portraying these arrests as part of a broader effort to safeguard national security.
Political backdrop and repercussions
Adityanath has frequently accused political opponents, notably the Samajwadi Party for "shamelessly supporting” the Taliban. In one instance, Samajwadi Party MP Shafiqur Rahman Barq faced sedition charges over remarks seen as supporting the Taliban’s regime change in Afghanistan, reported The Times of India. The recent honour for Muttaqi, therefore, has generated questions about consistency in policy and messaging, fueling debate across political and public circles.
Official explanation
Officials clarified that Muttaqi’s visit was part of India’s foreign policy outreach, sanctioned by the Ministry of External Affairs, aimed at ensuring regional stability and maintaining trade and intelligence links with Kabul. While the rationale focuses on diplomacy and strategic engagement, the event has triggered discussions about domestic optics and how such gestures are perceived politically, both within Uttar Pradesh and nationally.