Afghanistan has announced the permanent closure of its embassy in New Delhi, citing ‘continuous challenges from the Indian government’ as the reason. This decision has been taken after stopping the operations of the Afghan Embassy on September 30.
Which was done in the hope that the attitude of the Government of India would develop favorable to continue the normal functioning of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in New Delhi. The Embassy of Afghanistan said in a statement that ‘The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in New Delhi regrets to announce the permanent closure of its diplomatic mission in New Delhi with effect from 23 November 2023 due to continued challenges from the Government of India. ‘
The embassy said that despite a wait of eight weeks, the objectives of extension of visas for diplomats and change in the conduct of the Indian government could not be achieved. It said the embassy faced a difficult choice given continued pressure from both the Taliban and the Indian government to relinquish control.
Afghanistan’s statement said that “India has been a steadfast strategic partner of the erstwhile Afghan Republic since 2001. We acknowledge the limitations and concerns that govern the arena of real politics and perform the necessary balancing acts at a difficult time in a geopolitically sensitive region.
The Afghan Embassy statement said that we therefore believe that at this stage the decision to close the mission in India and transfer the custodial authority of the mission to the host country is appropriate.afghanistanIs in the best interests of. The statement said that despite limitations in resources and power, we have worked tirelessly for their betterment and in the absence of a legitimate government in Kabul.
The last two years and three months have seen a significant decline in the Afghan refugee community in India. Students and businessmen are leaving the country. Since August 2021, this number has almost halved. The embassy said that very limited new visas have been issued during this period.
