Afghanistan embassy in Delhi shuts, cites 'lack of support' from India

Sandeep Dikshit

New Delhi, November 24

After months of tussle between the pro-Taliban and pro-Ashraf Ghani factions, the Afghanistan embassy in Delhi announced on Thursday that it had shut down its operations, mainly blaming the Indian Government for the turn of events.

The closure relieves the Indian Government for the moment from making a difficult choice. As most of the pro-Ashraf Ghani faction employees, including its Ambassador Farid Mamundzay, have already sought political asylum in western countries, the Taliban-leaning staffers had wanted the embassy to be handed over to them. The Taliban reportedly wanted diplomat Qadir Shah to replace Mamundzay.

The embassy had already stopped functioning on September 30 after money from western sources dried up. New Delhi too was unwilling to bankroll staffers who were actively seeking asylum abroad.

In a statement, the embassy said the closure was necessitated due to “persistent challenges from the Indian Government” and that “it now rests on the Indian Government to decide the fate of the mission…to maintain closure or consider alternatives”.

Citing limitations in power and resources, the embassy said it had worked “tirelessly” for the betterment of Afghan citizens “despite” the absence of a legitimate government in Kabul.

The embassy said there was no change in leadership and “categorically refuted any baseless claims regarding internal strife” among embassy staff.

New Delhi does not recognise the Taliban government, and for two years since the takeover of Kabul, it allowed the Afghan embassy to continue operating with staff appointed by Ghani who himself has fled Afghanistan.

According to the statement, over the past two years, the Afghan community in India witnessed a significant decline with refugees, students and traders leaving. This number nearly halved since August 2021, with limited new visas issued in this period.

The embassy also said certain consulates that work on the instructions and funding from Kabul are not in consonance with the objectives of a legitimate or elected government but rather serve the interests of an “illegitimate regime”.