The Taliban-led government of Afghanistan formally took control of the Afghan embassy in New Delhi on Saturday, marking a significant step in the restoration of relations between India and Afghanistan following the collapse of the U.S.-backed government in 2021.
According to Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry, Mufti Noor Ahmad Noor assumed control of the embassy and will serve as chargé d’affaires, a diplomatic post typically used when no ambassador is appointed. The move follows an agreement reached in October in which India agreed to accept Taliban-nominated diplomats, coinciding with a visit by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi that initiated the rapprochement between the two countries.
The handover comes after years of stalled engagement. In 2023, Kabul attempted to send a diplomat to assume control of the embassy, which at the time was still staffed by officials loyal to the former Afghan government. That effort failed when embassy staff physically blocked the Taliban-appointed official from entering the premises. The standoff culminated in November of that year, when the embassy suspended operations, citing persistent challenges involving both the Indian government and Taliban authorities.
Prior to the embassy handover, India had already allowed the Taliban-led government to assume control of Afghan consulates in Mumbai and Hyderabad. New Delhi has pursued limited engagement with Kabul in part due to the presence of a sizable Afghan refugee population in India and concerns over regional stability.
Although India has not formally recognized the Taliban government, Saturday’s transfer represents a major diplomatic victory for Kabul. Since taking power in 2021, the Taliban have sought international legitimacy by either taking control of Afghan diplomatic missions abroad or forcing missions loyal to the former government to shut down.
The Taliban have succeeded in closing Afghan embassies in Washington, D.C. and London, while establishing or operating diplomatic missions in countries such as Norway and Germany. Across much of the Global South, Taliban representatives are now present at Afghan diplomatic missions. In other cases, including Saudi Arabia and several European states, embassies continue to function while coordinating directly with authorities in Kabul.
Despite these gains, the Taliban remain diplomatically constrained at the international level. Largely due to U.S. opposition, the United Nations General Assembly has yet to hold a vote on whether to admit the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the official state name used by the Taliban, or allow it to occupy Afghanistan’s seat at the UN.