In a first, Taliban appoints envoy Qadir Shah to head Afghanistan embassy in India
By Team Newsable | First Published May 15, 2023, 11:44 AM ISTThe Taliban has for the first time appointed a chargé d'affaires to head the Afghanistan embassy in New Delhi. The head of the Taliban's political office in Doha and designate ambassador to the UN, Suhail Shaheen, confirmed the development and called it a rational move.
The Taliban has for the first time appointed a chargé d'affaires to head the Afghanistan embassy in New Delhi, a top Taliban leader has confirmed. According to the Taliban, the diplomatic representative, Qadir Shah, was not sent from Kabul as he has been working with the embassy.
The head of the Taliban's political office in Doha and designate ambassador to the UN, Suhail Shaheen, confirmed the development and called it a sensible step. Shaheen predicted that it would increase mutual trust and open the door to greater ties with India.
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The Indian government, which hasn't acknowledged the Kabul administration despite reopening its embassy in Kabul in June of last year, views the development as a matter for the Taliban on its own internal affairs.
Ambassador Farid Mamundzay, who was chosen by the Ashraf Ghani administration, which fell in August 2021 in the face of a Taliban assault, is still in charge of the Afghanistan embassy. Despite the embassy's uncertain status since then, it has continued to provide consular services while cooperating with the Indian government.
Like the rest of the world, India does not recognise the Taliban regime in Kabul, but it has also not let historical animosity stand in the way of its collaboration with "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan."
In the last 18 months, India has frequently sent aid to Afghanistan, including wheat as part of its bold initiative to transport 50,000 million tonnes of the grain to the Taliban-ruled nation - via the Pakistani land route - in the midst of a catastrophic drought in 2021.
India, however, remains concerned about the activities of Pakistan-based terror groups in some parts of Afghanistan and has repeatedly underlined from multilateral forums the need to address this issue.
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