The Indian Embassy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has invited the Taliban’s envoy Badruddin Haqqani for the Republic Day celebrations in Abu Dhabi; Indian Express has reported.

Badruddin Haqqani, one of the sons of Jalaluddin Haqqani, was appointed Ambassador in October 2023. His brother, Sirajuddin Haqqani, is the Interior Minister of Afghanistan.

A copy of the invitation, issued in the name of Indian Ambassador to UAE Sunjay Sudhir, was tweeted by Afghan journalist Bilal Sarwary, who is now based outside of Afghanistan.

Sources told The Indian Express that the invitation was addressed to the envoy of the “Islamic Republic of Afghanistan”.

The Taliban represents itself as the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” while the “Islamic Republic of Afghanistan” was represented by erstwhile President Ashraf Ghani.