The Afghan Embassy in New Delhi announced the cessation of its work in New Delhi, the corresponding statement was published by the embassy on the page on the social network X.
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The Hindu previously reported that the Afghan Embassy informed the Indian government that it was forced to close due to a lack of resources from the Taliban regime (Taliban movement).
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“The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in New Delhi regrets the decision to cease operations effective October 1, 2023,” the embassy said in a statement.
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The embassy added that in accordance with the protocol of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, all premises and property of the embassy will be transferred to the custody of the Indian authorities, until then it will continue to provide emergency consular services to citizens of Afghanistan.
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Reasons for the decision included “the lack of critical support from the host government,” “the inability to meet expectations in serving the interests of Afghanistan,” in particular due to the lack of a legitimate government in Kabul. In addition, the embassy said that the decision was also made due to the lack of personnel and resources available to the embassy.
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The Hindu’s sources had also previously reported disagreements among embassy officials over the Taliban’s attempt to appoint its own ambassador to Delhi in April 2023. The attempt was rejected by Ambassador Fareed Mamundzai, who was appointed by the government of former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Mamundzai has been in London for months, while most of the embassy’s other diplomats have been granted asylum in several Western countries, including the United States, Canada and Australia.
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Since the overthrow of the first Taliban regime in 2001, India has forged strong ties with the democratic governments of Presidents Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani and has been actively involved in the development of Afghanistan. Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, India has refused to officially recognize the Taliban’s authority in Afghanistan.
