India, Oct. 12 -- Afghanistan's foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi's scheduled visit to the Taj Mahal in Agra on Sunday was cancelled at the last moment, with no reason cited by officials.

Muttaqi was expected to spend about an hour and a half at the monument and attend a lunch at a star-category hotel near the eastern gate before returning to Delhi.

Agra's Deputy Commissioner of Police, Sonam Kumar, said the directive to cancel the visit came from Delhi, but he expressed inability to assign any specific reason.

A senior conservation assistant at the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) posted at the Taj Mahal said that the visit has been "called off." Authorities have not yet provided any explanation for the cancellation.

The Taliban...