Here’s Everything You Need to Know About The Permanent Closure of the Afghanistan Embassy in New Delhi
The Afghanistan Embassy in New Delhi eventually issued an official statement on Friday confirming the closure, after persistent rumors to the contrary. Prior to this, on November 1, the Afghan embassy in New Delhi announced that it may have to close due to ‘failure to satisfy Afghanistan’s interests’ and ‘lack of resources’ on the part of the Taliban leadership.
What was said in the statement by the embassy?
“Effective from November 23, 2023 owing to persistent challenges from the Indian government,” said the official announcement. The decision comes after the embassy had already stopped operations on September 30 in the hopes that the Indian government’s position would shift in a way that would allow the mission to continue as usual.”
According to media reports, the embassy also said that “this decision is a result of broader changes in policy and interests” and that it was “cognisant” that some may seek to characterize this move as an internal battle among diplomats who purportedly shifted allegiance to the Taliban.
It said that the Embassy of Afghanistan “exerted diplomatic pressure in its power on those who defy the will of the Afghan people by failing to form an inclusive government and denying millions of girls the right to attend school” .
“The Afghan Republic’s ambassadors have given the mission entirely to the Indian government. The future of the mission now lies with the Indian government, which must decide whether to keep it closed or explore other options, such as giving it to Taliban envoys. The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’s diplomats are no longer formally responsible for their work. The Afghan Republic in India has come to an untimely end with the Republic mission’s demise,” the statement said.
“We have carefully weighed the historical occurrences and the present situation before coming to this determination. We also want to express our sincere thanks to the Indian people for their 22 years of aid and support to Afghanistan. The statement added, “We reaffirm our commitment to serve the people of Afghanistan and will keep looking for ways to help our country in these trying times.
Diplomats from Afghanistan in India
The Afghan Republic does not currently have any ambassadors stationed in India.
The embassy said in a statement that those who worked in the nation’s capital had safely left for third countries and that the only people still in India were diplomats who were obviously attending the Taliban’s regular online meetings.
