The highlights this week: Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit to New Delhi reflects a remarkable turnaround in ties, South Asia views the Gaza cease-fire with relief, and clashes intensify along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border .

Welcome to Foreign Policy’s South Asia Brief.

The highlights this week: Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit to New Delhi reflects a remarkable turnaround in ties, South Asia views the Gaza cease-fire with relief, and clashes intensify along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

Sign up to receive South Asia Brief in your inbox every Wednesday.

Why Is India Courting the Taliban?

Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi will complete a weeklong visit to India on Thursday. Muttaqi met senior Indian officials, including External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar; top business leaders; Islamic religious scholars; and members of the Afghan diaspora.

The trip marks the culmination of a remarkable turnaround in ties between India and the Taliban, which for decades had a hostile relationship. New Delhi backed anti-Taliban factions in the 1990s and worked closely with other Afghan governments during the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan. India has also blamed the group for several attacks on Indian targets in Afghanistan.

India began to signal a new willingness to engage after the Taliban returned to power in 2021. New Delhi partially reopened its embassy in Kabul the next year, and it has recently permitted Taliban officials to take over Afghan consulates in Mumbai and Hyderabad.

Meanwhile, diplomacy has picked up.