Afghanistan Amb Farid Mamundzay not missing, will be back from London by 28-29 Aug: Embassy sources

Afghan embassy sources shed light on Afghanistan’s ambassador to India Farid Mamundzay missing report and said he is on a family visit to London, writes Saurabh Sharma.

New Delhi: Hours after it was reported that Afghanistan’s ambassador to India Farid Mamundzay has been 'missing' from his office for the past two months, a source from the Afghan embassy told ETV Bharat that "Amb is not missing but is on a family visit to London." The source who did not wish to be named told this reporter that "Amb Farid Mamundzay first went to Hajj and afterwards he went to London for a family visit. So, the claim that he is missing is completely a fabricated story. He will return to Delhi by 28-29 August."

On being asked to mention who is heading the Embassy, he said that another diplomat, Ibrahim, has been looking after the ambassador’s work and is "working as chargé d'affaires." Ambassador Farid Mamundzay was appointed by the Ashraf Ghani government back in 2021 before the fall of the US-backed government and followed by the dramatic takeover by the Taliban after 20 years.

It is pertinent to note here that a couple of months back it was said that the Taliban in April had appointed Qadir Shah, who had been working as a trade councillor at the Afghan embassy since 2020, to head the mission. But this was later refuted by the officials and was stalled by other diplomats at the mission.

To this, the source replied "There's no question about that. That chapter is over. We have nothing to do with the statements from the Taliban. The stand of the Government is clear. Amb Farid will continue to hold the position."