Mumbai, 13th November 2024: The Taliban regime has appointed Ikramuddin Kamil as the acting consul at the Afghan consulate in Mumbai, but India has yet to officially comment on the development.

Kamil, who studied in India for seven years on a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) scholarship, will assume diplomatic responsibilities at the consulate. However, he remains an Afghan national representing the interests of his fellow countrymen in India. Afghan media reported on Monday that this is the first time the Taliban has made such an appointment in India, which was later confirmed by Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the Taliban’s deputy foreign minister, in a post on X.

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, India withdrew its diplomats from Kabul, and Afghan diplomats in New Delhi sought asylum in various Western countries. Nevertheless, a former Afghan diplomat has kept the Afghan mission in India operational.

Given the significant Afghan community in India, there is an ongoing need for consular services, prompting the need for additional staff. Kamil, who completed his doctorate at South Asia University with an MEA scholarship, is well known to the MEA and has agreed to take on his new role.

This move comes after a recent visit by an Indian delegation to Kabul, where they met Afghanistan’s interim defence minister, Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob. Discussions included facilitating Afghan business use of Chabahar Port and increasing humanitarian assistance. The delegation, led by J.P. Singh, Joint Secretary for Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran in the MEA, visited Kabul on November 4-5.