The Afghan Embassy says it will permanently close its doors in New Delhi due to challenges posed by India
NEW DELHI (AP) — The Afghan Embassy in New Delhi announced Friday its permanent closure due to challenges from the Indian government and lack of diplomatic support.
She said in a press release that the decision has already become effective as of Thursday and follows the embassy’s earlier move to Operations cease as of October 1 Because there is no recognized government in Kabul. At that time, he said his country would continue to provide emergency consular services to Afghan citizens.
The embassy said the previous decision was taken “in the hope that the Indian government’s position will develop positively for the normal continuation of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in New Delhi.”
But in the eight weeks that followed, the embassy was faced with a difficult choice due to “continuous pressure from both the Taliban and the Indian government to relinquish control.”
There was no immediate comment from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
India did not recognize the Taliban government – which He seized power in Afghanistan In August 2021 – it evacuated its employees from Kabul before the US withdrawal from Afghanistan two years ago. India no longer has a diplomatic presence there. India said it would follow the lead of the United Nations in taking the decision Whether to confess Taliban government.
The Afghan embassy in New Delhi was run by staff appointed by the previous government You are Afghan President Ashraf Ghaniwith permission from the Indian authorities.
The mission said in its statement on Friday that there are no diplomats from the Afghan Republic in India, and that those who served the embassy arrived safely in third countries.
“The only individuals present in India are diplomats associated with the Taliban,” she said, adding that the mission has been handed over to the Indian government.
He added: “It now remains for the Indian government to decide the fate of the mission, whether to maintain its closure or consider alternatives, including the possibility of handing it over to Taliban diplomats.”
The UNHCR says Afghans represent about a third of the nearly 40,000 refugees registered with it in India, and this does not include those registered through other agencies.
The Afghan embassy said the community in India has declined significantly over the past two years, with refugees, students and others leaving the country. The number has almost halved since August 2021, and very limited visas have been issued during this period, she said.
In 2022, India sent relief materials to Afghanistanincluding wheat, medicines, COVID-19 vaccines and winter clothing, to help fill shortages in an already war-ravaged Afghan economy that was on the verge of collapse.
