New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) termed a statement from the Embassy of Afghanistan — which closed down earlier this week allegedly due to lack of diplomatic support from India — as “factually incorrect” and “inaccurate”.
On 1 October, the Afghan embassy announced it would cease operations due to lack of support from the host government, among other reasons. This came days after ThePrint reported that the embassy wrote to the MEA about its intent to close down, shortly after local staff were sacked. ThePrint further reported that Afghan consulates in Mumbai and Hyderabad intend to remain open.
At a weekly press briefing Thursday, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi: “Our understanding is that the embassy in New Delhi is functioning or continuing to function. We are in touch with Afghan diplomats there in that embassy as well as the Afghan diplomats in consulates in Mumbai and Hyderabad.”
The Afghan embassy’s decision to close down was “an internal matter of foreign mission”, he said, adding that the Afghan consul generals in Mumbai and Hyderabad “voiced their objection” to that decision.
Asked to respond to the embassy’s claims of lack of diplomatic support from the Indian government, Bagchi said: “I don’t think facts bear out…those statements you have referred to. I don’t think they’re factually correct and I don’t think that’s accurate.”
Last week, Afghan Consul General in Mumbai Zakia Wardak and acting Consul General in Hyderabad Syed Mohammad Ibrahimkhail told ThePrint that they will continue to carry out their duties. The two diplomats were appointed by the previous democratic government in Afghanistan, headed by President Ashraf Ghani.
In his remarks, the MEA spokesperson also noted that the closure of the embassy comes amid “prolonged absence of the ambassador”.
In late April, a crisis broke out in the embassy when Afghan ambassador Farid Mamundzay’s trade counsellor Qadir Shah wrote to the MEA claiming to have been appointed as charge d’affaires by the Taliban government. The “appointment” was later appreciated by Suhail Shaheen, head of the Taliban’s political office in Doha, who called it a “rational” decision.
This occurred when Mamundzay — appointed by Afghanistan’s previous democratic government — was visiting his family in London.
In May, Mamundzay returned and his trade counsellor was prohibited from entering the embassy. However, he subsequently went back to London and has not returned to India for the past five months.
Mamundzay has denied corruption allegations against him and suggested they were part of a broader agenda “in favour of Taliban’s motive to take over the mission”. “The timing raises questions about the motives behind these claims, particularly when they’re being raised after a significant period,” he told ThePrint last week.
Meanwhile, the MEA spokesperson indicated that talks are ongoing with Afghan diplomats who remain in Delhi and consulates in Mumbai and Hyderabad on what “future action” to take.
“We would hope that a substantial number of Afghan nationals in India including students are able to continue to receive necessary consular support. On our part, we will continue with efforts to assist the people of Afghanistan,” Bagchi said.
(Edited by Tony Rai)