‘Profound sadness, regret, and disappointment’: Afghan Embassy closes operations in India from today

Sources in the Indian government have said that the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi has “issued a communication on this issue” and its contents are “being examined”.

“This is in the context of the Ambassador being out of India for the past many months, steady departure of diplomats to third countries reportedly after receiving asylum as well as reports of infighting amongst Embassy personnel,” the source said.

In a statement late on Saturday, the Afghanistan Embassy in New Delhi said it regrets announcing the decision to cease its operations, effective October 1, 2023. “It is with profound sadness, regret, and disappointment that the Embassy of Afghanistan in New Delhi announces this decision to cease its operations,” the statement said.

The embassy said the decision, while deeply regrettable, was made after careful consideration, taking into account the historic ties and long-standing partnership between Afghanistan and India.

The embassy statement also listed key factors affecting its ability to continue the mission effectively and said they were the primary reasons for the “unfortunate closure”. It cited a “lack of support from the host government”, alleging that it has experienced a notable absence of crucial support from the host government, which it said hindered its ability to carry out duties effectively.

“We acknowledge our shortcomings in meeting the expectations and requirements necessary to serve the best interests of Afghanistan and its citizens due to the lack of diplomatic support in India and the absence of a legitimate functioning government in Kabul,” it said.

The statement also said that due to unforeseen and unfortunate circumstances, there has been a significant reduction in both personnel and resources available to it, making it increasingly challenging to continue operations.

“The lack of timely and sufficient support from visa renewal for diplomats to other critical areas of cooperation led to an understandable frustration among our team and impeded our ability to carry out routine duties effectively,” it said.

Given these circumstances, “it is with deep regret that we have taken the difficult decision to close all operations of the mission with the exception of emergency consular services to Afghan citizens till the transfer of the custodial authority of the mission to the host country,” it said.

In its statement, the Afghan Embassy said this step is being taken in the best interest of the people of Afghanistan.

In accordance with Article 45 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961), all property and facilities of the embassy will be transferred to the custodial authority of the host country, it said.

The embassy said it also wishes to address recent speculations and provide clarity on certain matters of importance.

In the three-page statement, the embassy categorically refuted any “baseless claims” regarding internal strife or discord amongst its diplomatic staff or any diplomats using the crisis to seek asylum in a third country. “Such rumours are unfounded and do not reflect the reality of our mission. We remain a united team working towards the best interests of Afghanistan,” the embassy said.

The embassy also said it would like to verify the “authenticity” of an earlier communication with the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) regarding the intent to close the mission. “This communication accurately represents our decision-making process and the factors leading to the closure,” the statement said.

“We request the government of India to give serious consideration to the four requests outlined in the official note verbale submitted earlier. Specifically, we emphasize the importance of permitting the hoisting of the Afghan flag over the properties of our premises, as well as facilitating the smooth transition of the mission’s buildings and assets to a legitimate government in Kabul in the future,” the statement said.

The embassy also acknowledged that, given the gravity of this decision, “there may be some who receive support and instructions from Kabul that may differ from our current course of action”.

The Embassy of Afghanistan made an “unequivocal statement” regarding the activities of certain consulates. “It is our firm belief that any actions taken by these consulates are not in consonance with the objectives of a legitimate or elected government and rather serve the interests of an illegitimate regime,” the statement said.

The embassy also said it is keen to reach an agreement with the Indian government at the earliest possible juncture.

This comes months after a power struggle was underway at the Afghan Embassy in Delhi as Ambassador Farid Mamundzay, appointed by the previous Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, was battling to stay on in office in defiance of the Taliban-run Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul.

The Taliban regime has taken control of at least 14 missions abroad where it has posted its nominees, but Delhi is not yet one of them.

Aware of the infighting at the embassy that erupted at the end of April, the MEA has not taken sides. Sources said it had conveyed to both sides that it was an internal matter that they needed to settle by themselves.

In June this year, the MEA’s official spokesperson had said in response to questions, “From our perspective, this is an internal matter of the Afghan embassy and we hope that they would resolve it internally.”

India had closed down its embassy after the Taliban took over the country, and the Ashraf Ghani government collapsed in mid-August 2021. But, now it has a technical team to coordinate humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan.