India hosts Afghan Public Health Minister

New Delhi, Dec 16: India on Tuesday extended a warm welcome to Afghanistan’s Minister of Public Health, Mawlawi Noor Jalal Jalali, who is on his first official visit to the country.

The visit underlines India’s continued support for Afghanistan’s healthcare sector and is expected to include discussions on strengthening cooperation in public health and related areas.

Officials said the engagement reflects India’s long-standing commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, particularly in critical sectors such as health, even amid challenging regional circumstances.

The visit follows the arrival of Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in New Delhi in October 2025 for a week-long series of talks, marking a significant step in bilateral engagement that would have been considered unlikely in earlier years.

During those discussions, India outlined plans for launching several development and humanitarian projects aimed at benefiting the Afghan population.

Observers say the evolving India-Afghanistan engagement reflects New Delhi’s pragmatic approach to retaining influence in the country amid the growing presence of Pakistan and China.

Counterterrorism has also emerged as a key element of India’s outreach, with a clear emphasis on ensuring that Afghan territory is not used for activities directed against India, including by terrorist groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

The visit by the Afghan public health minister is seen as another step in India’s effort to engage Kabul while focusing on people-centric cooperation and regional security concerns.