New Delhi: The Taliban in Afghanistan have appointed Ikramuddin Kamil, an alumnus of New Delhi’s South Asian University, as their ‘acting consul’ at the consulate in Mumbai—their first appointment in India since taking over the country in 2021.
Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the acting deputy foreign minister of the regime, made the announcement in a post on social media platform X Tuesday, while pro-Taliban media outlet Bakhtar News Agency reported that Kamil is already in Mumbai and carrying out the duties of a diplomat.
There has been no official response by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) yet. Government sources have said that a “young Afghan student, who the MEA is familiar with” and who studied in India “for seven years while completing his doctorate from South Asia University on an MEA scholarship”, has agreed to “function as a diplomat” at the consulate in Mumbai.
“As far as his affiliation or status is concerned, for us, he is an Afghan national working for Afghans in India. As regards the issue of recognition, there is a set process for recognition of any Government and India will continue to work with the international community on this issue,” a source said.
India, like many other countries, does not recognise the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and has no official diplomatic ties with Kabul. New Delhi closed its embassy and all diplomatic missions in the Central Asian country after the collapse of the democratic government in August 2021.
However, in June 2022, the MEA had deployed a technical team to Kabul to monitor and coordinate humanitarian assistance, keeping in mind the “historical and civilisational relationship” with the Afghan people.
The appointment of the acting consul by the Taliban in Mumbai comes after a delegation of officials from India, led by Joint Secretary (Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran) J.P. Singh, met with Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, the acting defence minister of Afghanistan, for the first time last week. Yaqoob is the eldest son of Mullah Omar, the former Supreme Leader of the Taliban, who died a little over a decade ago.
The Administrator of National Defense Ministry met with a
Delegation from India.The defense ministry’s administrator, Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob
“Mujahid” at his office today, met with an Indian delegation, headed by… pic.twitter.com/Ju8IKncQn4— د ملي دفاع وزارت – وزارت دفاع ملی (@MoDAfghanistan2) November 6, 2024
According to Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the MEA, the discussions between Singh and Yaqoob during the delegation’s visit on 4 and 5 November focused on humanitarian assistance and the use of the port of Chabahar in Iran by businesses in Afghanistan.
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‘Need for consular services’ by Afghans
Since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, almost all of the diplomats appointed by the Ashraf Ghani regime have left India, seeking asylum in Western countries. In November 2023, the embassy of Afghanistan in New Delhi announced its closure due to lack of support from India.
The two remaining Afghan Consul Generals at the consulates in Hyderabad and Mumbai had met with the MEA at the time and continued to function in their roles. However, in May 2024, Zakia Wardak resigned from her role as Consul General in Mumbai, following a gold smuggling incident at the airport.
She was found to be allegedly smuggling 25 kilograms of gold into India from Dubai. Wardak left the country after stepping down from her role, leaving Syed Mohammad Ibrahimkhail as the sole functioning diplomat in India.
“Over the past three years, Afghan diplomats manning the Afghan Embassy and Consulates in India have sought refuge/asylum in different Western countries and have left India. A lone former diplomat, who has continued to stay here, has somehow kept the Afghan Mission/Consulates running,” a government source said. “However, the fact remains that there is a large Afghan community based in India, which is in need of consular services. More staff is, therefore, required to effectively service the Afghan nationals currently residing in India.”
Kamil, the new acting consul spent seven years studying at the South Asian University, completing his LLM, M.Phil and PhD. He graduated with his PhD earlier this year in August.
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