After the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi confirmed its “permanent” closure on Friday, senior Afghan diplomats posted in Mumbai and Hyderabad announced that they had taken over the Embassy and met officials of the Ministry of External Affairs.
On Friday, a statement from the Afghan Mission in India announced that the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi had closed effective from 23 November “owing to persistent challenges from the Indian government.”
Consul Generals from Mumbai, Hyderabad Meet MEA Officials
“Consul Generals of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Mumbai, Ms Zakia Wardak and Acting Consul General of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Hyderabad, Mr Sayed Mohammad Ibrahimkhil, have assumed the leadership of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, New Delhi,” a joint statement said.
After meeting with the MEA Joint Secretary (PAI), JP Singh and his deputy Ms.Deepti Jharwal , we meet with most of the local staff of Afghan Embassy in New Delhi and give assurance That the Embassy will be functioning routinely and together will serve the people of Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/MFrBl7ULGH
— Zakia Wardak (@ZakiaWardak) November 24, 2023
Assuring Afghan nationals in India that the Embassy continues to function without disruption, the statement urged everyone to “ignore and disregard the unprofessional and irresponsible communication issued by the former Afghan diplomats who are based abroad.”
“We are in constant touch with the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India and trying to address the difficult situation wherein most of our former Embassy colleagues have received asylum and left India. Therefore, we are facing a shortage of diplomatic and official staff,” it added. The statement asked former Afghan diplomats to abstain from any comment which could create confusion.
Additionally, the two diplomats met MEA Joint Secretary J.P. Singh and his deputy Deepti Jharwal on Saturday.
Former Afghan Diplomats Condemn Takeover
Former diplomats associated with the pre-Taliban government have condemned the takeover, accusing the officials of having “no ties to the country and a disregard for Afghan suffering.” The diplomats took to the Afghan Embassy’s X handle to say, “As of Nov 23, there is no Afghan diplomat representing the former Republic in India. Those with ties to the Taliban are aligning themselves with Taliban and also Delhi’s interests.”
Saying that Zakia had taken “a leap from human rights activism to becoming the Taliban’s PR Guru,” the former diplomats accused the diplomat of swapping her principles for a VIP seat. “Zakia and Ibrahimkhail seem to moonlight at Taliban meetings, taking cues from a group with Indian blood on their hands,” they added while attaching a tweet showing the participation of the two diplomats in a meeting with the Taliban in July.
As suggested by the tweet by Hafiz Zia Ahmad, the deputy Spokesman and Assistant Director of Public Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, Zakia and Ibrahimkhail had participated in a meeting with Foreign Minister Maulvi Amir Khan Muttaq. However, it is to be noted that these two Consular Generals were also appointed by the previous government, just like the former officials in the Afghan Embassy.
Closure of the Embassy, India-Taliban Ties
The decision to transfer the custodial authority of the Embassy to India to the Indian government came almost two months after the Embassy announced a cessation of operations on 30 September. “Given the constant pressure from both the Taliban and the Indian government to relinquish control, the embassy faced a difficult choice,” it stated. The statement mentioned that it rests on the Indian government to decide the fate of the mission, whether to maintain its closure or hand it over to Taliban “diplomats.”
Press Statement
— Afghan Embassy India (@AfghanistanInIN) November 24, 2023
24th November, 2023
The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan announces permanent closure in New Delhi.
The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in New Delhi regrets to announce the permanent closure of its diplomatic mission in New Delhi 1/2 pic.twitter.com/VlXRSA0vZ8
The decision has brought an end to the diplomatic presence of the pre-Taliban regime in Afghanistan. There was an attempt in May to replace Mamundzay with Mohammad Qadir Shah as the Charge d’affaires, but it did not materialise. Even after the 30 September announcement, Zakia and Ibrahimkhil met senior MEA officials in October and were assured during the meeting that the Indian govt would not close the Afghan embassy in New Delhi. They had alleged that “the decisions appear to be motivated by personal and internal matters within the embassy.”
India does not recognise the Taliban administration in Kabul and has not restarted its diplomatic activities in the Embassy in Kabul since it closed in August 2021. However, a technical team consisting of diplomats and security personnel has functioned as India’s de-facto Embassy in Kabul since June 2022. So far, there has been no official communication from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs or the Taliban regarding the latest development.