Taliban appoints Ikramuddin Kamil as Afghanistan’s acting consul in Mumbai

Afghanistan appointed Ikramuddin Kamil as acting consul for its Mumbai mission on Tuesday — the first such appointment made by the Taliban to set up to any Afghan mission in India. The announcement was made less than a day after the Afghanistan Consulate in Mumbai announced the resumption of passport distribution for citizens.
According to local media reports, the announcement was made by the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier this week. An unnamed source told the Taliban-controlled Bakhtar News Agency that Kamil was currently in the city to “fulfill his duties as a diplomat representing the Islamic Emirate”.
The publication said his appointment was part of Afghan efforts to strengthen diplomatic ties with India and enhance its presence abroad.
Kamil holds a PhD degree in international law and previously served as the deputy director in the department of security cooperation and border affairs in the foreign ministry. He is expected to facilitate consular services and represent the interests of Afghanistan in India.
The appointment was announced days after the MEA point-person for Afghanistan held talks with the Taliban acting defence minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob in Kabul.
There has been almost negligible presence of diplomatic staff at the Afghan missions in India. Most of the diplomats appointed by the Ashraf Ghani government have already left India.
In May, Zakia Wardak, the seniormost Afghan diplomat in India, resigned from her position after reports emerged that she was caught at the Mumbai airport for allegedly trying to smuggle 25 kg of gold worth ₹18.6 crore from Dubai.
(With inputs from agencies)