The move was due to a lack of support from India and increasingly difficult operating conditions, the embassy said.
The Afghan embassy in India, which owed its allegiance to the former Western-backed government, has announced its closure and said it will cease operations from October 1.
The Afghan Embassy’s statement on Saturday said it wanted to reach an agreement with the Indian government to ensure that the interests of Afghans living, working, studying and doing business in India are safeguarded.
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, Afghans make up around a third of the nearly 40,000 refugees registered in India. But that number excludes those not registered with the United Nations.
“There has been a significant reduction in both staff and the resources available to us, making it increasingly difficult to continue operations,” the statement said.
The closure comes more than two years after the Taliban government returned to power, triggering the collapse of President Ashraf Ghani’s government following the withdrawal of U.S. troops after 20 years of war and occupation.
“It is with deep sadness, regret and disappointment that the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi announces this decision to suspend its operations,” the embassy said.
The decision was taken due to the lack of “critical support” from India, which has affected the embassy’s ability to carry out its tasks, the statement said.
There are also shortcomings in meeting expectations to provide the best possible service to Afghan citizens due to the “lack of a legitimately functioning government in Kabul,” the statement said, referring to the Taliban government.
The closure follows reports that the ambassador and other senior diplomats had left India in recent months, amid infighting among those remaining in New Delhi. However, the embassy rejected speculation about internal power struggles among its employees and emphasized that these were “unfounded” rumors.
India will take control of the embassy in an executive capacity, it said.
At the time of publication, India’s Ministry of External Affairs had no comment on the announcement.
Press release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: September 30, 2023Afghanistan closes its embassy in New Delhi.
The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in New Delhi regrets to announce the decision to cease operations effective October 1, 2023. pic.twitter.com/BXesWPdLFP
— Afghan Embassy India (@AfghanistanInIN) September 30, 2023
No country officially recognizes Afghanistan’s new government, but recognizes the Taliban as the de facto ruling authority.
This has left many Afghan embassies and consulates in limbo, with diplomats appointed by the former government refusing to cede control of embassy buildings and property to representatives chosen by Taliban authorities.
India did not recognize the Taliban government that seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021. It evacuated its own staff from Kabul in advance of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan two years ago and no longer has a diplomatic presence there.
Still, New Delhi is keen to maintain ties with the country where its regional rival Pakistan wields significant influence. Indian envoys earlier met Taliban representatives in Doha, the capital of Qatar, where the group has an office.
Last year, India sent aid, including wheat, medicines, COVID-19 vaccines and winter clothing, to Afghanistan to help with shortages there.
In June last year, India sent a team of officials to its embassy in Kabul.
Before the Taliban took control, India provided Afghan security forces with training and military equipment but had no troops on the ground. It was also the region’s largest development aid donor to Afghanistan.