Why is Afghanistan Embassy New Delhi shutting down its operations?

The Afghanistan Embassy in India, which had been operational since 2001, is expected to be closed down by the end of September 2023.

What

Afghan journalist Bilal Sarwary shared a letter from the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, addressed to the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi, dated September 25, 2023. In the letter, the Afghanistan Embassy has shared its reasons for closing down the mission.

#AFG Sources confirm that the the Afghan Ambassador in India Farid Mamundzay @FMamundzay be closing the mission this month, citing challenges and pressure from Indian authorities and possibly Taliban. pic.twitter.com/uccz8IyitO

— BILAL SARWARY (@bsarwary) September 28, 2023

Why

In its letter, the Afghan Embassy has outlined several reasons behind closing down the mission in Delhi.

'Cannot function'

• The first reason given by the Afghan government for closing down the embassy is the “inability to maintain normal functioning due to the absence of diplomatic consideration and systematic support”.
• It said that the mission’s significance has been diminished since the reopening of the Indian Embassy in Kabul in June 2022. “During the same period, the mission was not accorded diplomatic and friendly considerations befitting its rightful status, roles and responsibilities,” the Embassy said in its statement.

Indo-Afghan relations badly affected

• The Afghan Embassy mentioned that the relationship between India and Afghanistan is “regrettably no longer as evident as it once was”. 
• It said that the Embassy "made all the efforts to share decent bilateral relations with the Indian government but the same favour hasn’t been returned by the Indian government". 
• Notably, while the Indian government did open its embassy in Afghanistan last year, it still, like the rest of the world, has not recognised the Taliban government in Afghanistan, which could be one of the core reasons why the Afghan Embassy New Delhi is shutting down. 

Afghan students left astray

• The Afghan Embassy also highlighted the difficulties faced by several Afghan students awaiting their student visas since 2021, especially female students who have been facing harsh conditions.
• The education system in Afghanistan is highly underdeveloped and women have been restricted from pursuing higher education.
• The Afghan Embassy said that the number of visas granted by the Indian government since August 2021 was far less than what was required and expected of India during a difficult phase in the history of Afghanistan.

No alternative left

The embassy concluded by saying that the presence of Afghan Diplomatic Mission in New Delhi cannot function normally without the explicit help of the Indian government.

• "After a careful consideration and assessment of the current situation, disappointingly, the Embassy finds itself in a position where the support is not forthcoming. Given these circumstances, the embassy has concluded that it is in our mission and staff’s best interest to bring it to a close by the end of September 2023,” it said.

The contents of the letter from the Afghan Embassy are being examined by the Indian government, and an official statement is awaited from the Indian government.