Taliban appoints its first acting consul in Mumbai

The Taliban regime in Afghanistan has appointed an India-based Afghan national, Ikramuddin Kamil, as its new acting consul in Mumbai. He is the first appointee of the Taliban regime in India.

The Indian side is yet to make an official comment on the development.

Sources, however, said, “A young Afghan student, who the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is familiar with, has agreed to function as a diplomat in the Afghan Consulate”.

On his affiliation or status, sources said “for us, he is an Afghan national working for Afghans in India”.

India does not officially recognise the Taliban regime that took over following the collapse of the Ashraf Ghani government in August 2021. 

Commenting on the issue of recognition, sources said, “There is a set process for recognition of any government and India will continue to work with the international community on this issue.”

Kamil has studied in India for seven years while completing his doctorate from South Asia University on a scholarship from the MEA.

Over the past three years, Afghan diplomats manning the Afghan Embassy and Consulates in India have sought refuge or asylum in different Western countries and have left India.

The development comes just a week after an Indian delegation led by JP Singh, a senior diplomat, visited Kabul to discuss relations with the Taliban-led regime, including the use of Chabahar port in Iran for conducting trade.

The first information on the matter came when Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the Taliban’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, on Monday night, posted on X a picture of Kamil and mentioned his appointment to the consulate in Mumbai.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Taliban-controlled Bakhtar News Agency (BNA) said Kamil’s appointment was done as “acting consul of the Islamic Emirate in Mumbai”.

Kamil holds a PhD degree in international law and previously served as deputy director in the Department of Security Cooperation and Border Affairs in the foreign ministry.

Kamil is said to be a Pashtun from Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan. He studied law at the Islamic University, Islamabad, before joining the South Asian University in New Delhi. The university has been set up by South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

There is a sizeable Afghan population in New Delhi and Mumbai. Diplomats appointed by the previous Ashraf Ghani government have already left India in batches.