Taliban Leader Receives Guard of Honour in Uttar Pradesh

New Delhi:In a move that has drawn widespread criticism, the Yogi Adityanath -led BJP government in Uttar Pradesh extended a guard of honour to Amir Khan Muttaki, the foreign minister of Afghanistan and a senior leader of the Taliban. The gesture took place during Muttaki’s visit to the Darul Uloom Islamic seminary in Deoband. Critics have described the Uttar Pradesh Police’s action as highly irregular and unprecedented.

Officials and commentators have noted that there is no existing protocol for granting a guard of honour to ministers from foreign countries at the state level. The controversy has intensified, given that the same BJP government has been accused of cracking down on citizens displaying ‘I love Muhammad’ banners, arresting them, using bulldozers to demolish their homes, and carrying out what many call retaliatory actions.

Muttaki also received a grand welcome at the headquarters of an RSS-affiliated organisation. Continuing his India visit, the Taliban minister attended an event at the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) in New Delhi. The VIF was established in 2009 under the aegis of the Vivekananda Kendra, a spiritual body founded by former RSS leader Eknath Ranade.

Photographs from the event were shared on VIF’s official X account.