RASC News Agency: India’s Ministry of External Affairs has clarified that the appointment of a Taliban diplomat to the Afghanistan Consulate in Mumbai is solely intended to facilitate the operational work of the consulate and does not signal recognition of the Taliban regime. According to Indian media reports, the recognition of governments follows a specific procedure, and India will adhere to the international community’s stance on the issue of Taliban recognition.
The Taliban has announced the appointment of Ekramuddin Kamil as the Second Secretary at the Afghanistan Consulate in Mumbai. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs further explained that, due to the departure of many Afghanistani diplomats stationed at the Afghanistan Embassy and Consulates in India over the past three years, primarily to Western countries, only one diplomat remains at the embassy.
In its statement, the ministry added, “Given these circumstances, the Indian government has appointed an Afghanistani student to manage consular affairs in Mumbai, though this individual does not hold diplomatic status.” The Taliban-run Ministry of Foreign Affairs also stated that the distribution of visas for Afghanistani nationals residing in India has commenced.
It is noteworthy that India’s political and intelligence ties with the Taliban have been on the rise, despite India being among the first countries to label the Taliban’s return as a significant regional and global threat. However, as the relationship between certain factions of the Taliban and Pakistan has soured, India has increasingly aligned itself with the group, seeking to use the Taliban as a tool to destabilize Pakistan.
