While the Taliban caved to pressure and invited women journalists to its second press conference, it used the meetings to place its flags inside the Afghan embassy in Delhi
At the heart of the controversy over the Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s exclusion of women from his first press conference is a deeper tussle between the Taliban regime in Kabul, which calls itself the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, and the former, democratically elected Afghan government, which refers to itself as the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and is still recognised by India, over the control of the Afghanistan Embassy compound in New Delhi. The Afghan diplomatic staff remaining at Delhi see the press conferences, which they claim the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) encouraged, as an attempt to grab control of the embassy. They now say they fear for their lives and the safety of their families.
The MEA has consistently rejected any role, saying it had “no involvement in the press interaction” held by Mr. Muttaqi.
After outrage from journalist groups over his first press conference in Delhi last Friday (October 10, 2025), Mr. Muttaqi held a second one, inviting journalists without any gender restriction on Sunday (October 12). Even as the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’s red, green and black flag flew on the tall flagpole in front of the embassy, the Taliban delegation used the occasion of the press meets to bring in their own black and white flags to the embassy, to use as a backdrop, and on the table in front.
Russia, China, Pakistan, and some Gulf and Central Asian countries have accepted the Emirate flag at their Afghan embassies, but none of the Western and East Asian countries that host the embassies of the former government have done so thus far.
“We waged jihad under this flag. We fought with the flag and won with the flag, and that’s the reason we have this flag here today,” Mr. Muttaqi said in response to a question from The Hindu on Sunday (October 12). When asked how much of the embassy they controlled, given the Republic flag outside, “100%,” the Minister replied, claiming all 5,00,00 Afghan government employees and mission staff worldwide now work for the Islamic Emirate. However, the Charge d’ Affaires (CDA) of the Afghanistan Embassy in Delhi, Mohammad Ibrahimkhil, who was present at the press conference, said the claim was “not correct”.
The Hindu spoke to a number of the Afghan staff at the embassy, and former Ambassadors and diplomats who had served in Delhi previously. They, too, contested the Taliban’s claims.
“This is a lie. Until the Indian government recognises the Taliban government, this embassy is with the Republic, and our flag is flying on Shantipath (where the Afghan embassy is situated in New Delhi). When India recognises them, we will respectfully leave, and hand the MEA the keys to the embassy. Then it is for the MEA to decide whether India will fly the Emirate flag of the Taliban here,” one of the staffers, who unsuccessfully tried to stop the Taliban delegation from putting up its flags on both occasions, said.
On Sunday (October 12), the Taliban installed a bigger flag, although the staff removed the official embassy podium from the stage.
One of the staff members said they had earlier pleaded with the MEA that Mr. Muttaqi’s press conference be held at the five star hotel in Delhi where the Acting Afghanistan Minister and his delegation were being hosted by the Indian government.
“We were told that not allowing Mr. Muttaqi to hold the press conference inside the embassy would mean that we were taking a stand against India. We then agreed to it, as we respect the Indian government, and they had promised to protect us earlier,” another staffer said.
None of the Afghan embassy staff members agreed to be identified as they said their families in Afghanistan could be targeted.
This isn’t first time that Afghan embassy staffers have ‘defended’ the premises. In May 2023, the staff locked the embassy gates and refused to allow Qadir Shah, an Afghan carrying an appointment letter from the Taliban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, into the premises, and he abandoned the attempt to take over as the CDA.
With India now agreeing to upgrade its technical mission to an embassy in Kabul, and Mr. Muttaqi’s announcement that India will now accept the Emirate’s diplomats, the staff members said they would be powerless to resist any further takeover, and fear losing their jobs, and their safety if they were forced to return to Afghanistan.
The MEA did not respond to a series of questions posed by The Hindu on the situation at the embassy, and at what level India and the Acting Government of Afghanistan would exchange diplomats following the agreement announced by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
In response to a question in Parliament in December 2023, then Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan had specifically referred to the “the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in New Delhi and the Consulates of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Mumbai and Hyderabad [that] continue to function in India”.
“Some Afghan diplomats have left India since they obtained residency in third countries. However, the remaining Afghan diplomats based in India have taken over the responsibility for the continued diplomatic functioning of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan,” Mr. Muraleedharan had said, responding to a statement issued by the last serving Ambassador, Farid Mamundzay, who resigned the position and declared the embassy had been shut down “due to the lack of support” from the MEA, accusing New Delhi of softening its position towards the Taliban.
However, after meetings with MEA officials, the embassy was kept open for consular services for the approximately 15,000 Afghans living in India, with a skeletal staff run jointly by the Consul Generals in Mumbai and Hyderabad, who are “aligned” with the Emirate government.
The embassy in Delhi is the last bastion for those still pledging allegiance to the Afghan Republic, and the staffers said they fear that the MEA’s latest decisions to strengthen cooperation with the regime in Kabul, which has only been recognised by Russia so far, will cast a dark cloud over their futures, and that of their families living in India and in Afghanistan.
As India plans to upgrade its embassy in Kabul, staffers of the former Afghan government in Delhi fear for their future
While the Taliban caved to pressure and invited women journalists to its second press conference, it used the meetings to place its flags inside the Afghan embassy in Delhi
At the heart of the controversy over the Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s exclusion of women from his first press conference is a deeper tussle between the Taliban regime in Kabul, which calls itself the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, and the former, democratically elected Afghan government, which refers to itself as the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and is still recognised by India, over the control of the Afghanistan Embassy compound in New Delhi. The Afghan diplomatic staff remaining at Delhi see the press conferences, which they claim the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) encouraged, as an attempt to grab control of the embassy. They now say they fear for their lives and the safety of their families.
The MEA has consistently rejected any role, saying it had “no involvement in the press interaction” held by Mr. Muttaqi.
After outrage from journalist groups over his first press conference in Delhi last Friday (October 10, 2025), Mr. Muttaqi held a second one, inviting journalists without any gender restriction on Sunday (October 12). Even as the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’s red, green and black flag flew on the tall flagpole in front of the embassy, the Taliban delegation used the occasion of the press meets to bring in their own black and white flags to the embassy, to use as a backdrop, and on the table in front.
Russia, China, Pakistan, and some Gulf and Central Asian countries have accepted the Emirate flag at their Afghan embassies, but none of the Western and East Asian countries that host the embassies of the former government have done so thus far.
“We waged jihad under this flag. We fought with the flag and won with the flag, and that’s the reason we have this flag here today,” Mr. Muttaqi said in response to a question from The Hindu on Sunday (October 12). When asked how much of the embassy they controlled, given the Republic flag outside, “100%,” the Minister replied, claiming all 5,00,00 Afghan government employees and mission staff worldwide now work for the Islamic Emirate. However, the Charge d’ Affaires (CDA) of the Afghanistan Embassy in Delhi, Mohammad Ibrahimkhil, who was present at the press conference, said the claim was “not correct”.
The Hindu spoke to a number of the Afghan staff at the embassy, and former Ambassadors and diplomats who had served in Delhi previously. They, too, contested the Taliban’s claims.
“This is a lie. Until the Indian government recognises the Taliban government, this embassy is with the Republic, and our flag is flying on Shantipath (where the Afghan embassy is situated in New Delhi). When India recognises them, we will respectfully leave, and hand the MEA the keys to the embassy. Then it is for the MEA to decide whether India will fly the Emirate flag of the Taliban here,” one of the staffers, who unsuccessfully tried to stop the Taliban delegation from putting up its flags on both occasions, said.
On Sunday (October 12), the Taliban installed a bigger flag, although the staff removed the official embassy podium from the stage.
One of the staff members said they had earlier pleaded with the MEA that Mr. Muttaqi’s press conference be held at the five star hotel in Delhi where the Acting Afghanistan Minister and his delegation were being hosted by the Indian government.
“We were told that not allowing Mr. Muttaqi to hold the press conference inside the embassy would mean that we were taking a stand against India. We then agreed to it, as we respect the Indian government, and they had promised to protect us earlier,” another staffer said.
None of the Afghan embassy staff members agreed to be identified as they said their families in Afghanistan could be targeted.
This isn’t first time that Afghan embassy staffers have ‘defended’ the premises. In May 2023, the staff locked the embassy gates and refused to allow Qadir Shah, an Afghan carrying an appointment letter from the Taliban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, into the premises, and he abandoned the attempt to take over as the CDA.
With India now agreeing to upgrade its technical mission to an embassy in Kabul, and Mr. Muttaqi’s announcement that India will now accept the Emirate’s diplomats, the staff members said they would be powerless to resist any further takeover, and fear losing their jobs, and their safety if they were forced to return to Afghanistan.
The MEA did not respond to a series of questions posed by The Hindu on the situation at the embassy, and at what level India and the Acting Government of Afghanistan would exchange diplomats following the agreement announced by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
In response to a question in Parliament in December 2023, then Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan had specifically referred to the “the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in New Delhi and the Consulates of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Mumbai and Hyderabad [that] continue to function in India”.
“Some Afghan diplomats have left India since they obtained residency in third countries. However, the remaining Afghan diplomats based in India have taken over the responsibility for the continued diplomatic functioning of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan,” Mr. Muraleedharan had said, responding to a statement issued by the last serving Ambassador, Farid Mamundzay, who resigned the position and declared the embassy had been shut down “due to the lack of support” from the MEA, accusing New Delhi of softening its position towards the Taliban.
However, after meetings with MEA officials, the embassy was kept open for consular services for the approximately 15,000 Afghans living in India, with a skeletal staff run jointly by the Consul Generals in Mumbai and Hyderabad, who are “aligned” with the Emirate government.
The embassy in Delhi is the last bastion for those still pledging allegiance to the Afghan Republic, and the staffers said they fear that the MEA’s latest decisions to strengthen cooperation with the regime in Kabul, which has only been recognised by Russia so far, will cast a dark cloud over their futures, and that of their families living in India and in Afghanistan.
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