It was a humid evening and the lush green lawns of the Afghan embassy in Delhi’s diplomatic enclave Chanakyapuri were lit up with paper lanterns and fairy lights. A white and parrot green themed shamiana housed at least 20 round tables, with giant coolers and fans to keep the guests cool.

This was no ordinary evening at Chanakyapuri, which witnesses diplomatic receptions round the year. This one was different, and a first in India’s diplomatic history.

Five years after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, its embassy in Delhi marked the 5th anniversary of “victory day” for the first time on Monday – which was attended by Indian government officials and about two dozen foreign diplomats.

Taliban took over the Afghan embassy in November last year, after their Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi visited India and met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. Both sides decided to upgrade the ties, with the Taliban sending its diplomats to Delhi under a chargé d’affaires — in the absence of official recognition of the Taliban regime by the Indian government.

Chargé d’affaires Mufti Noor Ahmad Noor hosted the two-hour event which was attended by a delegation from the Ministry of External Affairs led by Joint Secretary (Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran) Anand Prakash.

As the evening unfolded, diplomats trooped in. Palestinian Ambassador Abdullah M. Abu Shawesh was among the first to arrive, followed by Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Fathali.

While Russia and China sent their diplomats, Pakistan — which has had strained relations with the Taliban in the last couple of years — did not send a representative.

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Envoys from Eritrea, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Niger, Qatar, Oman were seen, and Serbia was the only European country to attend the event.

With no diplomatic recognition from most of the world, the Taliban chargé d’affaires clicked pictures with the guests, but with no flags in the background. There was, however, the Indian flag and the Taliban flag, belonging to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, on the dais.

The only place where Afghanistan’s old flag still flies is the main flag pole of the embassy, which can be seen from outside.

After a prayer, Noor gave a 21-minute speech in which he addressed several security concerns. “One of the important achievements of the past five years has been the implementation of the sacred Sharia, the strengthening of the country’s security and independent decision-making, as well as the consolidation of stability. This security is not only a necessity for Afghans, but also serves the shared interests of the region and the world. A peaceful, stable and responsible Afghanistan creates new opportunities for regional connectivity, trade, investment and economic cooperation, while also playing a constructive role in preventing shared security threats,” he said.

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“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan believes that Afghanistan’s geography should not be a field for negative competition, but rather a bridge for connectivity, cooperation and shared prosperity,” the envoy added.

Invoking the historical ties, he said, “For centuries, Afghanistan and India have remained connected through trade, transit, sports, and a shared cultural heritage. Throughout our history, the routes linking our two countries served as channels for the exchange of knowledge and art, as well as for the transmission of the values of literature and spirituality. The ancient cities of Afghanistan, such as Kabul, Herat and Kandahar, welcomed Indian traders and caravans, while… Delhi and Lahore benefited from the influence of Afghan scholars, poets and Sufis. In the political sphere as well, the two countries influenced one another in their struggles for freedom and independence from British colonial rule.”

Coming to the present, CDA Noor said, “In recent years, relations between Afghanistan and India have witnessed significant progress – guided by mutual respect, political engagement and shared interests. Official diplomatic contacts between the two countries have expanded, embassies and consulates have become more active, and high-level delegations have continued to exchange visits… More recently, Afghanistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as ministers from other sectoral ministries, have visited India, and the two countries have reached understandings in various areas. These developments represent an important step forward in further strengthening and expanding cooperation between Afghanistan and India.”

Only a handful of women were present at the event, including Indian diplomat Sneha Dubey, a few Indian women journalists as well as wives, family members of foreign diplomats in the crowd of about 200 people.

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As the evening rolled by over watermelon mocktails, virgin mojito, Qabuli pulao and gosht, the Afghans from the former regime were seen standing near the tent.

While the Taliban-appointed diplomats had dinner with Indian and foreign guests inside the tent, those appointed by the Ashraf Ghani regime looked on from the lawns. A Taliban-appointed diplomat told , “We are all working together, there is no problem between us at all.”