Afghan Embassy rejects claim of Taliban diplomat replacing envoy to India

The Afghan embassy in New Delhi appreciated the consistent position of the Indian government for supporting the interests of the Afghan people while at the same time not recognising the Taliban regime in Kabul has been the case with democratic governments around the world.

New Delhi:The Afghan Embassy in New Delhi on Monday issued a statement saying it categorically rejected the claims from an individual claiming to have taken charge of the mission in New Delhi at the behest of the Taliban. This comes after it has been reported that directions have been issued by the Kabul Foreign Ministry to remove the Afghan envoy to India Farid Mamundzay and replace him with another Taliban diplomat Mohammad Qadir Shah, to take over the charge of the embassy in New Delhi. Ever since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, there has been a continuous tussle over the control of the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi. However, the fight seems to have come into the open now.

The Afghan Embassy in New Delhi in the statement appreciated the consistent position of the Indian government for supporting the interests of the Afghan people while at the same time not recognising the Taliban regime in Kabul has been the case with the democratic governments around the world. "The individual, who claims to have been named "charge d'affaires" by the Taliban has been responsible for spreading misinformation and running a baseless and unsubstantiated campaign against the officials of the mission, including fabricated allegations of corruption based on an unsigned letter", the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi said in the statement.

The embassy reiterated that it is committed to protecting the genuine interests of Afghan nationals, especially in these tiring times, and has worked closely with the Indian authorities on humanitarian efforts, including the supply of COVID-19 vaccines, medicines and food supplies. "The embassy also wishes to inform Afghan nationals that the mission continues functioning as normal and working for their interests in India", it added.

Afghanistan's local media Tolo News on Monday posted a tweet with a screenshot of an unsigned letter from “Afghans refugees based in India”. The letter names three diplomats, including Afghan envoy to India Farid Mamundzay, and accuses them of corruption related to some rent agreement with an Indian company.

"Afghans based in India" in a letter to the Islamic Emirate Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused several officials at the Afghan Embassy in India of "corruption," related to a land lease agreement with an Indian company. The officials in the Afghan Embassy in Delhi have yet to comment", Tolo news tweeted. Meanwhile, Farid Mamundzay, who has been the diplomatic representative in New Delhi even after the collapse of the Afghan republic in August 2020, on Sunday evening posted that all recent media rumours are baseless and rejected. However, the Ministry of External Affairs has maintained that it will not get involved in the matter and has not responded to the developments yet.

India with the international community does not recognise the Taliban regime, but at the same time, has attempted to have a functional relationship with the Taliban regime by deploying a technical team of diplomats in Kabul. According to sources, the Taliban diplomat Mohammad Qadir Shah on April 28, in the absence of Mamundzay, who was in London, wrote to the MEA claiming that he has been appointed as the top diplomat of the Afghan Embassy in Delhi with Taliban backing. Qadir was currently in the post of trade councillor. Now all eyes are on New Delhi as it has posed a tough decision for India given its policy on the situation in Afghanistan and its engagement with the Taliban.