India upgrades Technical Mission in Kabul to Embassy, days after Muttaqi's visit to New Delhi

The upgradation was executed just days after the Taliban administration’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi visited New Delhi for his maiden visit to the country since the group took control over the war-hit nation in 2021.

"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 of India 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," read a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.

"The Embassy of India in Kabul will further augment India’s contribution to Afghanistan’s comprehensive development, humanitarian assistance, and capacity-building initiatives, in keeping with the priorities and aspirations of Afghan society," the statement said.

Official sources told The Hindu that a chargé d’affaires (CDA) would soon be appointed who would steer the embassy till the appointment of an ambassador.

The decision regarding the upgradation of the Technical Mission was announced during Muttaqi's meeting with Indian EAM S Jaishankar in New Delhi.

The meeting occurred amid intense conflict, which broke out between Afghanistan and Pakistan in recent weeks.

The two sides reached a ceasefire through mediation in Qatar.

India shut down its Embassy in Kabul in 2021 after the fall of the former President Ashraf Ghani-led government in the face of the Taliban's swift actions to take control of the country on August 15 that year.

The Indian consulates in Mazaar-i-Sharif, Jalalabad, Kandahar and Herat were also closed that year.