Afghan embassy closes down, MEA plays for time
Sandeep Dikshit
New Delhi, September 29
The Afghan embassy in Delhi has closed for all practical purposes, leaving the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a dilemma. The closure of the embassy and a request to the MEA to take charge from September 30 was made in a letter from the Afghan Ambassador to India Farid Mamundzay, who has not been seen in the country for months and has no locus standi with the Taliban government.
The MEA has played for time with sources stating that “the authenticity of the communication and its contents are being examined”. The tussle between pro-Taliban diplomats and Ghani-era appointed diplomats was brewing for some time and burst into the open in May when Trade Councillor at the embassy, Qadir Shah, announced that the Taliban had sacked Mamundzay and appointed him charge d’affaires.
