‘Away for personal reasons, will return soon,’ says Afghan envoy to India Farid Mamundzay after ‘missing’ reports

Afghanistan’s ambassador to India Farid Mamundzay said that he is not missing and is away from the country for “personal and family reasons.” Over reports of him ‘missing’ from his office, Mamundzay told ANI, “I continue my job as the Afghan Ambassador to India. I am presently away from India for personal and family reasons and will be returning to the Embassy in New Delhi in the near future.” “India holds a significant place in our diplomatic relations, and we recognise its importance on regional and global stages. During my absence, the acting ambassador has effectively managed and overseen all mission-related activities,” he said. He further stated that the embassy continues to function its routine work normally and has diligently addressed various matters, ensuring that the mission’s objectives continue to be met efficiently. It is pertinent to note here that a couple of months back it was said that the Taliban in April had appointed Qadir Shah, who had been working as a trade councillor at the Afghan embassy since 2020, to head the mission. But this was later refuted by the officials and was stalled by other diplomats at the mission. The Afghanistan Embassy in New Delhi said that an individual who claims to have been named “charge d’affaires” by the Taliban has been responsible for spreading and running a “baseless and unsubstantiated campaign against the officials of the mission including totally fabricated allegations of corruption based on an unsigned letter”. “The Embassy appreciates the consistent position of the Indian government for supporting the interests of the Afghan people, while at the same time not recognizing the Taliban regime in Kabul, as it has been the case with democratic governments around the world,” the statement said. “The mission is committed to protecting the genuine interests of the Afghan nationals, especially in these trying times and has worked closely with the Indian authorities on humanitarian efforts, including the supply of covid-19 vaccines, medicines and food supplies,” it added.