Due to a lack of support and an inability to fulfill expectations in serving Afghanistan’s interests, the Afghan embassy in New Delhi closed.
The old West-backed government of Afghanistan’s embassy in India has announced its closure and stated that it will stop doing business on October 1.
According to a statement released by the Afghan embassy on Saturday, an agreement with the Indian government was sought in order to protect the interests of Afghans who live, work, study, and conduct business in India.
According to the UN organization for refugees, Afghans make up around one-third of the almost 40,000 migrants who have applied for asylum in India. However, those who are not registered with the UN are not included in that number.
The statement read, “There has been a substantial reduction in both personnel and resources available to us, making it increasingly challenging to continue operations.
The shutdown comes more than two years after the US withdrew its soldiers from Afghanistan after 20 years of war and occupation, precipitating the fall of President Ashraf Ghani’s administration.
The Afghan Embassy in New Delhi announced its intention to stop operating with “profound sadness, regret, and disappointment,” the embassy said.
According to the statement, the decision was made because India’s lack of “crucial support” has made it difficult for the embassy to do its obligations.
The statement cited “the absence of a legitimate functioning government in Kabul”—a reference to the Taliban administration—as another reason why aspirations to best serve Afghani residents were not met.
The Taliban administration, which took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, is not recognized by India. Prior to the US pullout from Afghanistan two years ago, it removed its own staff from Kabul and no longer has a diplomatic mission there.
However, New Delhi is eager to maintain connections with the nation where Pakistan, its regional adversary, holds significant sway. Taliban representatives have previously been greeted by Indian envoys in Doha, the capital of Qatar, where the organization has an office.
India supplied Afghanistan with winter clothing, COVID-19 vaccines, wheat, medication, and other supplies last year to aid with the country’s shortages.
India dispatched a group of representatives to its embassy in Kabul in June of last year.
India had no soldiers on the ground but trained and equipped the Afghan security forces before the Taliban took over. Additionally, it was the biggest donor of development funding to Afghanistan in the area.
