India Hands Over Afghan Embassy in New Delhi to Taliban Representative

Nour Ahmad Nour, appointed as the Taliban ambassador to India, met with a group of Afghan businessmen at the embassy building on Thursday, January 15. Some media outlets reported that Nour Ahmad Nour, a senior official in the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has arrived in New Delhi and is expected to serve as the chargé d’affaires at the Afghan embassy.

According to the Taliban, Nour Ahmad Nour met on Monday with Anand Prakash, Secretary for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran at India’s Ministry of External Affairs, to discuss visa facilitation, as well as issues faced by Afghan businessmen and students.

Although the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not officially announced Nour Ahmad Nour’s appointment and India’s Ministry of External Affairs has not confirmed the acceptance of his credentials, recent meetings indicate that the Afghan embassy in New Delhi has effectively been handed over to the Taliban.

The Indian government refrains from openly formalizing relations with the Taliban due to domestic opposition.

Earlier, the visit of Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to India and the initial ban on women attending his press conference at the Afghan embassy sparked widespread protests, forcing the Indian government to compel him to hold a meeting that included women.

Like many countries, India does not officially recognize the Taliban government but has expanded working relations with the group since reopening its technical mission in Kabul in 2022.

In October 2023, India’s Ministry of External Affairs announced that its mission in Kabul had been upgraded to the level of an embassy.