Power tussle, conflicts, infighting in Afghanistan embassy in Delhi before shutdown: reports

The announcement of the Afghanistan embassy shutting down its operations in India from 1st October comes months after a power struggle at the Afghan embassy in Delhi.

According to a report in The Indian Express on 29th September, Ambassador Farid Mamundzay, appointed by the previous Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, was battling to stay in office in defiance of the Taliban-run Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul.

Aware of the infighting at the embassy that erupted at the end of April 2023, the MEA had not taken sides.

The Indian Express, quoting sources, said it had conveyed to both sides that it was an internal matter they needed to settle themselves.

India had closed its embassy after the Taliban took over the country, and the Ashraf Ghani government collapsed in August 2021.

It now has a technical team to coordinate humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan.