As Taliban Extends Its Footprint Over Afghanistan, What’ll Happen To Indian Missions There?

India has a lot of missions in present-day Afghanistan. The most important ones, besides the famous Indian embassy in Kabul, a subject of vitriol and attacks in the past, happen to be the consulates in the cities of Kandahar as well as Mazar. Right now, India, on its part, is carefully monitoring the situation down in war-torn Afghanistan where, well, being war-torn is but the normal way of life.

More so in the current scheme of things where the dangerous and dreaded Taliban is beginning to get a stronghold over the country that has, for decades been at war with the local administration and the Afghan populace. But then, Afghanistan is no ordinary battleground either; for the longest time it has been a silent witness to the bloodied attacks waged by warring forces, with the likes of Russians, Americans, even Germans and the French positioning themselves to entangle in a long battle that now seems has paved way for Taliban to return to power.

Amid such unfortunate things, the key question on India’s part in this- is the diplomatic missions as well as the other programs going to shut down? Will India continue to run its diplomatic missions in a country that sees so very little of peace and where one of the long-dreaded enemies is, once again, increasing lost ground, albeit much to the chagrin of the people (the locals)?

So what is it going to be like? To what extent shall one evidence India’s active participation in a country that it has supported for several successive years, with the likes of Hamid Karzai (Former President) going as far as referring to India as Afghanistan’s elder brother!

But first, to understand the current situation in war-torn Afghanistan, one where forces like the feared CIA (of USA) and the celebrated Bundeswehr have operated in the very recent past, it is important to understand that there are a lot of rumours floating in thin air.

Rumours suggesting that India is soon to close all its diplomatic missions, a report that hardly carries even the tiniest modicum of truth. After all, the clarification came from the Indian government itself.

So this leaves us to now introspect what might happen in the course of the future.

And on that note, here is what the revered Hindustan Times had to report on the matter:

India on Tuesday dismissed speculation about the closure of its embassy and two consulates in Afghanistan even as Afghan envoy Farid Mamundzay briefed foreign secretary Harsh Shringla on the fragile security situation in the troubled country.

People familiar with developments said on condition of anonymity that Indian authorities were keeping a very close watch on the fluid situation in Afghanistan, especially against the backdrop of a massive surge in violence by the Afghan Taliban, to ensure that Indian officials and nationals were not put in harm’s way.

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Gains by the Taliban in northern Afghanistan have led to some countries closing their consulates in this region. Reports suggested some districts collapsed without a fight and that some 1,000 Afghan security personnel crossed the border to seek refuge in Tajikistan. There were also reports that the Turkish and Russian missions in Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of northern Balkh province, have been closed.

That being said, one certainly hopes that peace finds its way through to a country that utterly needs it.