Afghan embassy in Delhi to shut down: Reports
Afghanistan's Ambassador to India, Farid Mamundzay, has announced the closure of its embassy in Delhi due to a lack of cooperation from the Afghan and Indian governments, News18 reported. This comes amid reports that India is looking into the legitimacy of a message sent by the Afghan embassy, suggesting a possible shutdown of its operations. "Due to non-cooperation from India and no assistance from Kabul, I've decided to shut down the mission by the end of September 2023," Mamundzay said.
Why does this story matter?
Mamundzay was appointed by the previous government of Ashraf Ghani, and he continued to serve as the Afghan envoy after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in August 2021. Problems started to surface when Mamundzay was in London in April, trade counselor Qadir Shah wrote to India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), claiming he had been designated as the chargé d'affaires (acting ambassador) in Mamundzay's place. The appointment was later confirmed by the Taliban.
I failed to deliver on every front: Mamundzay
In a letter to the Taliban-led government, Mamundzay stated that he was unable to deliver on all fronts due to a lack of assistance and diplomatic considerations. He alleged that the Indian government didn't help despite his repeated pleas for visa considerations for traders and other areas. However, Mamundzay attributed the failure of India to respond to his pleas to the Afghan government, claiming that the Taliban-led administration's lack of inclusivity and its leaders' lack of credibility played a part.
Details on Afghan embassy's alleged communication with MEA
Earlier, the Afghan embassy "purportedly issued a communication" to India's MEA on its move to shut down operations in New Delhi. In response, Indian government sources said the authenticity of the communication and its contents are being examined. "This is in the context of the ambassador being out of India for the past many months, a steady departure of diplomats to third countries reportedly after receiving asylum as well as reports of infighting amongst the embassy personnel," the source said.
Power struggle
The power struggle between Mamundzay and Taliban-government-appointed Shah took an ugly turn when Shah was barred from entering the Afghanistan mission in New Delhi in May. This happened while Mamundzay had returned to India after visiting his family in London. However, he later went back to London and did not return to India for three months. Months later, reports surfaced that Mamundzay had gone "missing," which was refuted by him.
