The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in New Delhi announced in a statement the permanent closing of its diplomatic mission in New Delhi, effective from Nov 23, owing to "persistent challenges from the Indian government."

“The decision follows the embassy’s earlier cessation of operations on 30 Sep, 2023, a move made in the hope of the Indian government stance,” the statement reads.

According to the statement, the diplomats of the “Afghan Republic have handed over the mission solely to the Indian government.”

"India has had good relations with various governments in Afghanistan. It does not want to be involved in political and security issues of Afghanistan. But as an industrial country, it cannot get away from the region. When it sent its technical team to Kabul, the Taliban also created pressure to accept their [Taliban’s] diplomats and hand over the charges of the embassy," said Aziz Maarij, a former diplomat.

The Afghan students in India called the closure of the embassy concerning.

“In India, many students, traders and Afghan refugees are living, and their first step was to the embassy, where their problems were addressed,” said Nazar Gul, a student.

The Islamic Emirate has yet to comment on it but some former Afghan diplomats said the two sides should negotiate to reach a solution as the issue will affect the Afghans based in India.

“The Islamic Emirate and Indian government should take steps to reopen the embassy as soon as possible,” said Ahmad Raghi, a former diplomat.

Earlier, the Afghan embassy in New Delhi said that the embassy's activities would be stopped from October 1 of this year due to the lack of support from the Indian government, the failure to meet expectations in providing Afghanistan's interests, and the reduction of employees and resources.