Afghan embassy rejects claims of Taliban appointing new Charge d'Affaires in New Delhi

The Afghan embassy in India denied media reports that the Taliban have appointed a charge d'affaires to head the mission replacing incumbent Farid Mamundzay as it said on Monday that there is no change in its leadership.

Media reports claimed that the Taliban, after over two and a half years it took over Afghanistan, the regime finally decided to change leadership in the Afghan embassy in New Delhi.

But the embassy headed by Mamundzay said in a statement that "the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan categorically rejects the claims from an individual claiming to have taken charge of the mission in New Delhi at the behest of the Taliban".

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Ashraf Ghani's government had appointed Mamundzay and even after the Taliban came to power in August 2021, he continued to operate as the Afghan envoy.

Reports claimed that Qadir Shah, who has been working as the trade councillor at the Afghan embassy since 2020, wrote to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) last month and said that he has been appointed as the charge d'affaires at the embassy by the Taliban.

News agency PTI reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that when Mamundzay was on a visit abroad, Shah tried to take charge of the embassy as the charge d'affaires late last month.

However, the attempt was stalled by other diplomats at the mission and Shah has also been barred from entering the embassy on at least three occasions.

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Mamundzay's statement added that the "embassy appreciates the consistent position of the Indian government for supporting the interests of the Afghan people, while at the same time not recognising the Taliban regime in Kabul, as it has been the case witdemocratic governments around the world."

The embassy said the individual who claims to have been named "charge d'affaires" by the Taliban has been responsible for "spreading misinformation and running a baseless and unsubstantiated campaign against officials of the mission, including totally fabricated allegations of corruption based on an unsigned letter", its statement added.

There were some reports in the Afghan media about allegations of corruption against the embassy.

The embassy said, "The mission is committed to protecting the genuine interests of the Afghan nationals, especially in these trying times and has worked closely with the Indian authorities on humanitarian efforts, including the supply of COVID-19 vaccines, medicines and food supplies."

"The embassy also wishes to inform Afghan nationals that the mission continues functioning as normal and working for their interests in India," it added.

(With inputs from agencies)

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