Tens of thousands of Afghan refugees who fled the Taliban in 2021 scrambled to leave Pakistan on Tuesday, hours before the end of a deadline after which Islamabad plans to arrest or deport undocumented immigrants, a move that has drawn international criticism and fears of a humanitarian crisis.

Undocumented Afghans being detained in Pakistan, over 300 migrants arrested in Karachi

The Afghan Embassy in New Delhi on Saturday night announced that it will cease its operations from October 1 in India due to the lack of support from the host government.

"It is with profound sadness, regret, and disappointment that the Embassy of Afghanistan in New Delhi announces this decision to cease its operations," the statement by the Afghanistan Embassy in New Delhi read.

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Press Statement 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Date: 30th September, 2023 
 
Afghanistan is closing its Embassy in New Delhi. 
 
The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in New Delhi regrets to announce the decision to cease its operations, effective October 1, 2023. <a href="https://t.co/BXesWPdLFP">pic.twitter.com/BXesWPdLFP</a>
— Afghan Embassy India (@AfghanistanInIN) <a href="https://twitter.com/AfghanistanInIN/status/1708189818516119651?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Citing a "lack of support from the host government", it alleged that due to a considerable absence of critical backing from the host government hindered its ability to effectively carry out its duties.

It further cited "failure to meet expectations in serving Afghanistan's interests" as one of the reasons.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/under-taliban-afghan-currency-tops-global-rankings-amid-turmoil-640145">Under Taliban, Afghan currency tops global rankings amid turmoil</a>

"We acknowledge our shortcomings in meeting the expectations and requirements necessary to serve the best interests of Afghanistan and its citizens due to the lack of diplomatic support in India and the absence of a legitimate functioning government in Kabul," the mission said.&nbsp;

"The lack of timely and sufficient support from visa renewal for diplomats to other critical areas of cooperation led to an understandable frustration among our team and impeded our ability to carry out routine duties effectively," the statement said.

Given these circumstances, "it is with deep regret that we have taken the difficult decision to close all operations of the mission with the exception of emergency consular services to Afghan citizens till the transfer of the custodial authority of the mission to the host country," it said.

Like all the other countries, India too does not recognise the Taliban government, which is why the country shut down its own embassy in Kabul after the Taliban came to power in 2021. However, New Delhi had allowed the ambassador and mission staff appointed by the Western-backed government of ousted Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to issue visas and handle trade matters.

(With inputs from agencies)

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The Afghan Embassy in New Delhi on Saturday night announced that it will cease its operations from October 1 in India due to the lack of support from the host government.

The Afghan Embassy in New Delhi on Saturday night announced that it will cease its operations from October 1 in India due to the lack of support from the host government. "It is with profound sadness, regret, and disappointment that the Embassy of Afghanistan in New Delhi announces this decision to cease its operations," the statement by the Afghanistan Embassy in New Delhi read. Press Statement FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: 30th September, 2023 Afghanistan is closing its Embassy in New Delhi. The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in New Delhi regrets to announce the decision to cease its operations, effective October 1, 2023. pic.twitter.com/BXesWPdLFP — Afghan Embassy India (@AfghanistanInIN) September 30, 2023 × Citing a "lack of support from the host government", it alleged that due to a considerable absence of critical backing from the host government hindered its ability to effectively carry out its duties. It further cited "failure to meet expectations in serving Afghanistan's interests" as one of the reasons. Also read: Under Taliban, Afghan currency tops global rankings amid turmoil "We acknowledge our shortcomings in meeting the expectations and requirements necessary to serve the best interests of Afghanistan and its citizens due to the lack of diplomatic support in India and the absence of a legitimate functioning government in Kabul," the mission said. "The lack of timely and sufficient support from visa renewal for diplomats to other critical areas of cooperation led to an understandable frustration among our team and impeded our ability to carry out routine duties effectively," the statement said. Given these circumstances, "it is with deep regret that we have taken the difficult decision to close all operations of the mission with the exception of emergency consular services to Afghan citizens till the transfer of the custodial authority of the mission to the host country," it said. Like all the other countries, India too does not recognise the Taliban government, which is why the country shut down its own embassy in Kabul after the Taliban came to power in 2021. However, New Delhi had allowed the ambassador and mission staff appointed by the Western-backed government of ousted Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to issue visas and handle trade matters. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Afghan embassy in India announces decision to cease operations from Oct 1

The Afghan Embassy in New Delhi in India the country's Taliban-led foreign Ministry has ordered changed in leadership as its Embassy in the Indian capital. Speaking exclusively on this issue to WION the Afghan envoy said that the Embassy is still run by diplomats appointed by the former republic of Afghanistan and they firmly reject the Taliban.

Afghan Embassy in Delhi rejects report of Taliban appointing new head

For years Pakistan has tried to gain strategic depth against India. How? By using its ties with Afghanistan. If that were the case, looks like times are changing. Afghan Embassy Denounces Taliban's replacement for Ambassador to India. What are we talking about?

Gravitas: Afghanistan denounces change of guard

The Afghan Embassy in New Delhi in India the country's taliban-led foreign Ministry has ordered changed in leadership as its Embassy in the Indian capital. A simmering Face-Off between Kabul and its Embassy in India is out in the open now the former had earlier issue a letter for trains of God at the embassy in India on April 28th reports the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Afghanistan had chosen Muhammad Kadasha to lead the embassy a claim which was refuted by current ambassador Farid Mamusde now Shah has previously served as the embassy secretary in India employees at the embassy have collectively refused to welcome the decision from Kabul.

New Delhi: Power tussle at Afghan embassy

India dispatched a technical team to reopen its Kabul embassy for humanitarian work. The Taliban say the move validates their claim of peace & security in Afghanistan. Palki Sharma tells you why India is walking a tightrope in Kabul.

Gravitas: India reopens Afghan embassy for aid work

Afghan&nbsp;embassies around the world that have refused to recognise the new&nbsp;Taliban&nbsp;regime&nbsp;are struggling to stay afloat and facing increasing&nbsp;pressure&nbsp;from&nbsp;Kabul to accept loyalist replacements.

None of the country's 60 or so ambassadors, consuls or heads of diplomatic missions who were appointed by Western-backed former president Ashraf Ghani have agreed to serve the hardline Islamist group since it seized power in August last year.

The&nbsp;Taliban&nbsp;government has yet to be formally recognised by any nation, and the international community is grappling with how to deal with the country's new rulers while also helping Afghans face an economic and humanitarian crisis.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/afghan-group-rejects-murdering-polio-vaccinators-461914">Afghan group rejects murdering polio vaccinators</a>

"We are in a very unfortunate ... situation, but we still have to continue to operate in these difficult circumstances," said Youssof Ghafoorzai, the ambassador to Norway.

"The embassies still have a very important role to play in terms of trying to increase whatever humanitarian support is possible. But also (to help) discussions on the political track... to stabilise the situation."

Aid and cash reserves, frozen by the United States and the international community after the&nbsp;Taliban&nbsp;seized control, are trickling back into the country, which has long depended almost entirely on donors.

But Ghafoorzai and his colleagues have had no contact with the new&nbsp;regime, and staff have not been paid for months.

The&nbsp;Afghan&nbsp;embassy and its consulates in the United States are being shut in the coming week.

"The&nbsp;Afghan&nbsp;Embassy and consulates are&nbsp;under&nbsp;severe financial&nbsp;pressure. Their bank accounts are not available to them," a US State Department official told AFP.

The embassy and Washington have made arrangements for an "orderly shutdown of operations in a way that would protect and preserve all diplomatic mission property in the United States until operations are able to resume," the official said.

Across the world,&nbsp;Afghan&nbsp;ambassadors have been forced to dramatically scale down their activities, reduce energy bills and food costs, and even move into smaller premises.

They have also increased consular fees to generate revenue.

"The embassy is not receiving any funding or financial assistance&nbsp;from&nbsp;Kabul," Farid Mamundzay, the ambassador in New Delhi, told AFP.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/i-didnt-join-politics-to-know-the-prices-of-aloo-and-tamatar-pakistan-pm-imran-khan-462066">I didn't join politics to know the prices of aloo and tamatar: Pakistan PM Imran Khan</a>

"In the absence of the required financial support and depletion of resources, we have not been able to pay the staff salaries for months and had to downsize the strength and reduce the expenditure of the mission to the lowest."

It is not clear how long visas, certificates and other documents issued by the holdout embassies will be recognised -- either by the&nbsp;Taliban&nbsp;or the international community.

New passports issued in Kabul now refer to the country by the&nbsp;Taliban's name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, while officials have warned foreign journalists arriving with visas issued independently by the Dubai embassy&nbsp;that they may not be honoured in future.

&nbsp;Squeezed out&nbsp;

In a handful of countries near Afghanistan, some ambassadors have left their posts or &nbsp;been pushed out by the&nbsp;Taliban, who have inserted their own representatives -- but even the replacements face hardship.

In Pakistan, salaries have not been paid since September. Employees live on income&nbsp;from&nbsp;visa and passport renewal fees and marriage certificates, said a source at the consulate in Peshawar, near the&nbsp;Afghan&nbsp;border.

The new consul general appointed by the&nbsp;Taliban&nbsp;receives just 50,000 rupees ($280) a month compared with the nearly $5,000 his predecessor made, the source added.

The&nbsp;Taliban&nbsp;made Pakistan, long accused of aiding their cause, the first country to which they sent a new representative.

In Beijing, the ambassador resigned when a senior diplomat loyal to the&nbsp;Taliban&nbsp;was appointed to the embassy, which he is now unofficially leading.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/afghanistan-pakistan-agree-on-free-movement-of-cargo-trucks-460901">Afghanistan, Pakistan agree on free movement of cargo trucks</a>

The&nbsp;Taliban&nbsp;have also managed to impose their men in Uzbekistan and Iran.

Russia, meanwhile, said it was ready to accept "two or three" new&nbsp;diplomats, but that they would not take the place of the current ambassador.&nbsp;

Threats and intimidation

The&nbsp;Taliban&nbsp;did not respond to AFP's requests for comment, but they have previously claimed to largely have control over&nbsp;Afghan&nbsp;embassies.

However, they have failed to have one of their top spokesmen, Suhail Shaheen, accredited as ambassador to the United Nations, with the General Assembly indefinitely postponing a vote on the matter.

In Rome, Italian police had to intervene after a scuffle between the&nbsp;Afghan&nbsp;ambassador and a recently dismissed pro-Taliban&nbsp;diplomat who claimed he had been given the top job.

"There have been threats, intimidation and violence in some of our missions by disgruntled ex-employees that are ideologically pro-Taliban," said Khaled Zekriya, the ambassador in Rome.

"The&nbsp;Taliban&nbsp;administration tried to persuade our embassy to work on their behalf, but I said no.

"My answer will stay the same until an inclusive representative government will be established in Afghanistan, where the&nbsp;Taliban&nbsp;will be a part, not the only part, of this government."

Watch |&nbsp;Afghanistan and now Ukraine...Is US about to lose its hegemony?

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The&nbsp;Taliban&nbsp;have also sent delegations&nbsp;from&nbsp;Kabul to Oslo and Geneva, bypassing local embassies, for talks with Western powers.

Afghan&nbsp;diplomatic missions -- in particular those in the West -- united to openly criticise the&nbsp;Taliban&nbsp;for their failure to respect human rights ahead of the Oslo visit in January.

"It's a difficult situation," said Ghafoorzai, the ambassador to Norway.

"But we also know that we continue to represent a people that have suffered enormous difficulties throughout their history."

Afghan embassies around the world that have refused to recognise the new Taliban regime are struggling to stay afloat and facing increasing pressure from Kabul to accept loyalist replacements.

Afghan embassies around the world that have refused to recognise the new Taliban regime are struggling to stay afloat and facing increasing pressure from Kabul to accept loyalist replacements. None of the country's 60 or so ambassadors, consuls or heads of diplomatic missions who were appointed by Western-backed former president Ashraf Ghani have agreed to serve the hardline Islamist group since it seized power in August last year. The Taliban government has yet to be formally recognised by any nation, and the international community is grappling with how to deal with the country's new rulers while also helping Afghans face an economic and humanitarian crisis. Also read | Afghan group rejects murdering polio vaccinators "We are in a very unfortunate ... situation, but we still have to continue to operate in these difficult circumstances," said Youssof Ghafoorzai, the ambassador to Norway. "The embassies still have a very important role to play in terms of trying to increase whatever humanitarian support is possible. But also (to help) discussions on the political track... to stabilise the situation." Aid and cash reserves, frozen by the United States and the international community after the Taliban seized control, are trickling back into the country, which has long depended almost entirely on donors. But Ghafoorzai and his colleagues have had no contact with the new regime, and staff have not been paid for months. The Afghan embassy and its consulates in the United States are being shut in the coming week. "The Afghan Embassy and consulates are under severe financial pressure. Their bank accounts are not available to them," a US State Department official told AFP. The embassy and Washington have made arrangements for an "orderly shutdown of operations in a way that would protect and preserve all diplomatic mission property in the United States until operations are able to resume," the official said. Across the world, Afghan ambassadors have been forced to dramatically scale down their activities, reduce energy bills and food costs, and even move into smaller premises. They have also increased consular fees to generate revenue. "The embassy is not receiving any funding or financial assistance from Kabul," Farid Mamundzay, the ambassador in New Delhi, told AFP. Also read | I didn't join politics to know the prices of aloo and tamatar: Pakistan PM Imran Khan "In the absence of the required financial support and depletion of resources, we have not been able to pay the staff salaries for months and had to downsize the strength and reduce the expenditure of the mission to the lowest." It is not clear how long visas, certificates and other documents issued by the holdout embassies will be recognised -- either by the Taliban or the international community. New passports issued in Kabul now refer to the country by the Taliban's name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, while officials have warned foreign journalists arriving with visas issued independently by the Dubai embassy that they may not be honoured in future. Squeezed out In a handful of countries near Afghanistan, some ambassadors have left their posts or been pushed out by the Taliban, who have inserted their own representatives -- but even the replacements face hardship. In Pakistan, salaries have not been paid since September. Employees live on income from visa and passport renewal fees and marriage certificates, said a source at the consulate in Peshawar, near the Afghan border. The new consul general appointed by the Taliban receives just 50,000 rupees ($280) a month compared with the nearly $5,000 his predecessor made, the source added. The Taliban made Pakistan, long accused of aiding their cause, the first country to which they sent a new representative. In Beijing, the ambassador resigned when a senior diplomat loyal to the Taliban was appointed to the embassy, which he is now unofficially leading. Also read | Afghanistan, Pakistan agree on free movement of cargo trucks The Taliban have also managed to impose their men in Uzbekistan and Iran. Russia, meanwhile, said it was ready to accept "two or three" new diplomats, but that they would not take the place of the current ambassador. Threats and intimidation The Taliban did not respond to AFP's requests for comment, but they have previously claimed to largely have control over Afghan embassies. However, they have failed to have one of their top spokesmen, Suhail Shaheen, accredited as ambassador to the United Nations, with the General Assembly indefinitely postponing a vote on the matter. In Rome, Italian police had to intervene after a scuffle between the Afghan ambassador and a recently dismissed pro-Taliban diplomat who claimed he had been given the top job. "There have been threats, intimidation and violence in some of our missions by disgruntled ex-employees that are ideologically pro-Taliban," said Khaled Zekriya, the ambassador in Rome. "The Taliban administration tried to persuade our embassy to work on their behalf, but I said no. "My answer will stay the same until an inclusive representative government will be established in Afghanistan, where the Taliban will be a part, not the only part, of this government." Watch | Afghanistan and now Ukraine...Is US about to lose its hegemony? The Taliban have also sent delegations from Kabul to Oslo and Geneva, bypassing local embassies, for talks with Western powers. Afghan diplomatic missions -- in particular those in the West -- united to openly criticise the Taliban for their failure to respect human rights ahead of the Oslo visit in January. "It's a difficult situation," said Ghafoorzai, the ambassador to Norway. "But we also know that we continue to represent a people that have suffered enormous difficulties throughout their history."

Afghan diplomats under pressure from Taliban regime

Taliban have assigned diplomats to start work in the Afghan embassy in Pakistan's capital Islamabad making it the first country where the Taliban have appointed diplomats from the new regime to run the embassy.

Taliban assigns diplomats to start work in the Afghan embassy

Taliban have assigned diplomats to start work in the Afghan embassy in Pakistan's Islamabad making it the first country where the Taliban have reopened the Afghanistan embassy after their takeover.

Taliban assigns diplomats to start work in Afghan embassy in Islamabad

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