India may not reopen embassy in Kabul soon

ISLAMABAD: India may not reopen its embassy in Kabul soon, saying though to maintain the so-called people-to-people contact in Afghanistan, by having communication channels opened with the top echelons of the Taliban.

Reports said the Indian government had established a high-level team, which included infamous NSA Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, referring to focus on Afghanistan as India would not have any kind of ‘physical presence’ in the country. The well-placed diplomatic sources told ‘The News’ here Monday that India has stopped receiving Afghan students and others, who come for medical reasons till resumption of commercial flights and whole evacuation would be done.

The sources pointed out that New Delhi would not officially recognise the Taliban government, which is expected to be formed soon, and thus, neither side would be able to appoint their diplomats to each other’s capitals.

As many as 100-150 Indian nationals remained stuck in Afghanistan, and the Indian government has not yet started giving e-visas, while it had already invalidated previous issued visas within days after the Taliban had taken over Kabul. Afghan nationals, who were in India for medical treatments, could now apply for visas through Pakistan High Commission, in order to travel via Pakistan to Afghanistan.

The sources said India has also sought assistance from Qatar and Russia to keep the communication channels open with the Taliban. On July 11, 2021, India had shut down its consulate in Kandahar,

Taliban’s native place, and on August 10, just five days before the Taliban had taken control of Kabul city, the Indian consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif had also been closed, while the Kabul embassy had pulled its shutters down on August 16, and the entire diplomatic staff had already reached New Delhi.