The announcement came over a week-and-a-half after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said during his meeting with Afghan counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi that India will upgrade its diplomatic presence in Kabul. Photo credit: X/ @DrSJaishankar
Days after the visit by Taliban administration’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, India has upgraded its Technical Mission in Afghan capital Kabul to an embassy. In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the upgrading took place with “immediate effect” on Tuesday.
“In keeping with the decision announced during the recent visit of the Afghan Foreign Minister to India, the government is restoring the status of the Technical Mission in Kabul to that of Embassy of India in Afghanistan with immediate effect. This decision underscores India’s resolve to deepen its bilateral engagement with the Afghan side in all spheres of mutual interest,” said the MEA in a statement. Official sources said a chargé d’affaires (CDA) would soon be appointed who would steer the embassy till the appointment of an ambassador.
Multiple major powers such as Iran, China, Russia, Gulf countries and Central Asian republics have engaged the Taliban but Russia alone has granted recognition to the Taliban as the de jure ruler of Afghanistan. Sources indicated that it may be sometime before India sent a formal ambassador to take charge of the embassy in Kabul.
The decision to upgrade the Technical Mission was taken after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with Mr. Muttaqi in Hyderabad House on October 10 against the backdrop of intense hostilities that had broken out between Afghanistan and Pakistan along the Durand Line. Subsequently, the two sides have declared a ceasefire through mediation of Qatar.
India had shut its embassy in Kabul and withdrew the existing staff in August 2021 when law and order had broken down as Taliban overthrew the government of President Ashraf Ghani. The Indian consulates in Mazaar-i-Sharif, Jalalabad, Kandahar and Herat had also been closed as the conflict intensified in early 2021. India had sent a technical team to Kabul to run the mission on June 23, 2022 which was meant to facilitate humanitarian assistance and provide consular assistance.
Published – October 21, 2025 09:09 pm IST
