India has sent a multi-member team of senior diplomats to Afghanistan for the first time since the Indian Embassy in Kabul was evacuated in August 2021 following the arrival of the Taliban at the Afghan capital. During discussions with the Indian delegation held on Thursday, the Taliban urged India to reopen its embassy in Kabul, Suhail Shaheen, chief of the Taliban’s political office told The Hindu. The Indian team is being led by J.P. Singh, Joint Secretary, Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
“Post 15th of August, 2021, in the light of the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, it was decided to bring back all India-based personnel. However, local staff continued to function and ensure proper maintenance and upkeep of our premises there. Our local staff have also been helping in the delivery of humanitarian assistance,” the MEA’s official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said during the weekly briefing, providing an update on the present condition of India’s diplomatic facilities in Kabul. The comment was made shortly before the Taliban’s representatives said that the two sides had discussed “diplomatic relations between India and Afghanistan”.
