Afghan consulates counter embassy’s decision to shut down

Amid accusations that the MEA failed to support the Afghan embassy and that the mission’s closure could allow entry of ‘pro-Taliban’ diplomats, Indian sources say situation will be examined

The Afghanistan Embassy in New Delhi on September 29, 2023, as it plans to cease all operations in the National Capital by Saturday. | Photo Credit: AP

As Afghanistan’s last remaining diplomats in Delhi plan their exit, citing a resource crunch and lack of support from the Ministry of External Affairs, the move to shut down the Embassy could cast a long shadow on the future of about 25,000 Afghan refugees in India. According to the diplomats, it could also allow the Taliban to take control of the missions in India.

However, the Afghan consulates in Mumbai and Hyderabad distanced themselves from the Delhi mission’s Note Verbale (a type of diplomatic communication) sent earlier this month, with Mumbai Consul General Zakia Wardak issuing a message on social media “categorically rejecting” the suggestion that all Afghan missions in India would close.

Enhancing trade ties

“In these challenging times, we want to assure all Afghan citizens living in India that the Consulate General of Afghanistan in Mumbai and Hyderabad is your reliable source of assistance for any consular, educational, or commercial matters,” Ms. Wardak said, in a post that also also praised India for its humanitarian support to Afghanistan in the post-2021 period.

“The economic ties between India and Afghanistan have reached significant milestones, with trade now exceeding one billion dollars. We are determined to further enhance these trade relations, recognising the mutual benefits they bring to our nations,” the post added.

Diplomatic frictions

Given the differences between the Afghan mission in Delhi with the consulates in Hyderabad and Mumbai, as well as an earlier tussle within the embassy as the Taliban tried to appoint a new Ambassador, Indian government sources say that they will wait and watch the situation, even as they examine the authenticity of the Note Verbale they have received.

As The Hindu had reported on Friday, the note — which was unsigned, but sent on behalf of the Afghan Embassy by Acting Ambassador Mosa Naimi — had informed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) that they were unable to continue functioning with their present resources, and intended to shut down operations by Saturday.

Farid Mamundzay, the Ambassador to New Delhi appointed by the previous Ghani government, has been in London for several months, and most other diplomats have received asylum in other countries including the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Australia. At present, Mr. Naimi and the mission’s education attache are the last remaining Afghan diplomats in Delhi, and are expected to leave for Europe, while four Indian staffers will remain to take care of the mission.

‘No support from India’

The note had criticised the MEA for refusing to respond to appeals for support, as well as not extending diplomatic visas to diplomats. In particular, it accused the government of changing its position after India reopened its mission in Kabul in June 2022, indicating that it believed New Delhi was softening its position on the Taliban regime that is trying to replace the current diplomats with “pro-Taliban” appointees.

“Continuous threats to their families in Afghanistan by the Taliban, coupled with a lack of support from the Indian government, have prompted this decision. It is regrettable that India is not extending rightful visa renewals for Afghan diplomats... India’s non-membership in the Geneva Convention on refugees and its stance on asylum for Afghan citizens is a concerning aspect,” said an Embassy official, who alleged that the Mumbai and Hyderabad consulates had even taken part in a videoconference with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mottaki in July. 

Changing policy

No government has yet recognised the Taliban as the legitimate authority in Kabul, although at least 15 countries, including India, operate diplomatic missions there. In addition, many like Russia, China, Pakistan, and some central Asian countries have allowed the Taliban to appoint Acting Ambassadors in their capitals, while some have even allowed the black and white flag of the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate to replace the red, green and black tricolour of the previous Islamic Republic. In the note sent to the MEA, the Embassy had requested that all bank funds be kept in the government’s custody, and that the Republic’s flag be allowed to fly at the Embassy.

The Indian government’s position is a shift from its approach to the previous tenure of the Taliban in Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001. During that period, India had supported the Afghan embassy loyal to the Northern Alliance’s government-in-exile financially, allowing many anti-Taliban leaders to live in India with their families. However, since 2021, the government has cancelled all visas to Afghans, issuing only a handful to Afghan citizens since then, and leaving in the lurch thousands of Afghan students who had received admission in Indian institutes.

More discussions on the issue may take place on the sidelines of the Moscow Format underway in Russia’s Kazan city on Saturday, where Indian Ambassador to Moscow Pavan Kapoor will represent India at talks on Afghanistan that include Russia, China, India, Iran, Pakistan, and the central Asian countries. Ahead of the meeting, a Taliban spokesperson told The Hindu that the group hopes for India to support its cause for “economic stability and recognition”, claiming that the Taliban has the support of the Afghan people.