'Rejected Taliban's claims': Farid Mamundzay on news of CDA appointment at Afghanistan Embassy in Delhi

Afghanistan's Ambassador to India, Farid Mamundzay on Tuesday once again made it clear that there is no change in its leadership following reports that the Taliban have appointed a Charge d'Affaires to head the mission in India.

Mamundzay who was appointed by the previous Ashraf Ghani government, has been operating as the Afghan envoy even after the Taliban came to power in August 2021.

Qadir Shah, who has been working as the trade councillor at the Afghan embassy since 2020, last month reportedly wrote to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) claiming that he had been appointed as the charge d'affaires at the embassy by the Taliban.

As Mamundzay was on a visit abroad, Shah tried to take charge of the embassy as the charge d'affaires late last month, but his attempt was stalled by other diplomats at the mission, people familiar with the matter said.

"We categorically rejected the claims from the Taliban that they have appointed the Charge d'Affaires at the mission in India...I represent a republic or a government which no longer exists, but I was appointed by a legitimately elected government.

"And I am an accredited ambassador, an accredited diplomat in this country. I do have that legitimacy serving in this mission, I have shared my concerns with the Indian government and I look forward to their reaction to their response on this particular mission," Farid Mamundzay told ANI.

India has not yet recognised the Taliban set up and has been pitching for the formation of a truly inclusive government in Kabul besides insisting that Afghan soil must not be used for any terrorist activities against any country.