The Afghanistan embassy in New Delhi on Friday announced that it has closed operations permanently due to “persistent challenges” from the Indian government and “constant pressure” from the Taliban regime in Kabul to relinquish control.
India does not recognise the Taliban government and closed its own embassy in Kabul after the insurgent group seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021. New Delhi, however, allowed Ambassador Farid Mamundzay and mission staff appointed by the previous government of ousted Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to issue visas and handle trade matters.
In a statement, the Afghan embassy on Friday said that diplomats failed to secure visa extensions from the Indian government.
They have reached third countries and there are none remaining in India. “The only individuals present in India are diplomats affiliated with the Taliban, visibly attending their regular online meetings,” the statement said.
The statement added that the embassy has been handed over to the Indian government.
“It now rests upon the Indian government to decide the fate of the mission, whether to maintain its closure or consider alternatives, including the possibility of handing it over to Taliban ‘diplomats,’” it said.
The statement acknowledged the Indian government’s limitations and concerns “that govern the realm of realpolitik and the balancing act required at a difficult time in a geo-politically sensitive region”.
It said the the decision to cease operations was a result of broader changes in policy and said the move should not be characterised as an internal rift within the embassy.
The embassy also noted that the number of Afghans living in India has significantly declined over the past two years, with refugees, students and others leaving the country.
On September 30, it had said that a failure to meet expectations in serving Afghanistan’s interests was also a key reason why it was shutting operations. At the time, it had said it would continue to provide emergency consular services to Afghan nationals.
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