RASC News Agency: The Afghanistan Consulate in Mumbai, now operating under the Taliban’s administration, has announced the initiation of consular services, including passport distribution, for Afghanistani citizens residing in India. According to reports from Taliban-controlled National Television, the Taliban-appointed General Consul at this consulate confirmed that the process commenced today Monday, November 12.
This development takes place against a backdrop of challenges faced by Afghanistani citizens in India, especially students, who report significant difficulties in obtaining or renewing legal residency documentation. Additionally, many Afghanistanis living abroad express growing anxiety over the Taliban’s rule and their lack of international recognition, which have left them in a state of uncertainty regarding their legal status and future.
Earlier, the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement declaring the consular services provided by Afghanistan diplomatic missions in Western countries as “invalid,” asserting that they do not recognize these services. The ministry clarified that it holds no responsibility for documents and consular services such as attestations, certifications, liability waivers, passport issuance and renewals, visa stickers, and other related services provided by Afghanistan diplomatic missions in cities such as London, Brussels, Berlin, Bonn, Switzerland, Austria, France, Italy, Greece, Poland, Sweden, Norway, Canada, and Australia.
The Taliban have urged Afghanistani citizens abroad, as well as foreign nationals, to seek documentation only from Afghanistan diplomatic missions under Taliban management. Despite India’s refusal to officially recognize the Taliban or formally accept their envoy, the Taliban maintain that the Afghanistan consulate in Mumbai operates under their leadership.
Previously, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, in an annual ministry report, claimed that the Taliban currently oversee or manage 39 Afghanistan embassies, consulates, and diplomatic offices worldwide. However, no country or organization has yet formally recognized the Taliban regime. The U.S. Department of State reiterated that the United States continues to view the Taliban as a “terrorist organization.”
