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India restores full diplomatic presence in Afghanistan
India has officially restored its full diplomatic presence in Afghanistan, upgrading its Technical Mission in Kabul to the level of an embassy, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Tuesday.
The decision follows recent discussions during the visit of Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister to New Delhi, marking a renewed phase in India-Afghanistan relations. The MEA said the move reflects India’s “resolve to deepen its bilateral engagement with the Afghan side in all spheres of mutual interest.”
“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,” a statement read.
India had maintained a limited diplomatic presence in Kabul since the fall of the former Afghan government in 2021, operating through a technical mission primarily focused on humanitarian and development assistance.
The latest move signals New Delhi’s intent to expand cooperation and strengthen people-to-people ties amid improving regional engagement.
Analysts say the decision aligns with India’s long-term strategic and developmental interests in Afghanistan, where it has historically invested in major infrastructure projects, education, and healthcare programs. It also comes as several regional powers — including China, Russia, and Iran — have stepped up engagement with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).
By restoring its embassy, India positions itself to play a more active diplomatic and developmental role in Afghanistan’s evolving landscape, while reaffirming its commitment to supporting stability and inclusive progress in the country.
The spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Zabiullah Mujahid announced on Wednesday that the security and defense forces of the Islamic Emirate will temporarily halt the “Rad al-Zulm” defensive operation on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr and also at the request of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar.
Zabiullah Mujahid said in a post on X: “The Islamic Emirate, while appreciating the goodwill of friendly and mediating countries, emphasizes that maintaining Afghanistan’s national security, territorial integrity, and the safety of Afghan lives is its national and religious duty, and it will bravely respond to any aggression in case of a threat.”
Meanwhile, Ataullah Tarar, Pakistan’s Minister of Information and Broadcasting, also announced that Pakistan has temporarily suspended its attacks on Afghanistan for Eid al-Fitr at the request of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey.
A UN official told Reuters on Wednesday that the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) estimated the number of victims of the bombing of Kabul’s Omid hospital by Pakistan at 143 dead.
However, health officials in Afghanistan had earlier reported that the attack killed more than 400 people and injured 265.
Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai has accused Pakistan of trying to create “anarchy and weakness” in Afghanistan, following a deadly airstrike on Kabul.
In an interview with UK’s Sky News, Karzai said Islamabad’s policies were aimed at keeping Afghanistan unstable and “downtrodden,” warning that such an approach would harm both countries.
He condemned the recent strike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul, which Afghan officials say killed around 400 people, describing it as an “extremely unfortunate event” in the history of relations between the two neighbours.
Karzai said he personally heard the explosion, describing a “horrific sound” that shook his home and filled the surrounding area with smoke and dust.
The former leader, who governed Afghanistan from 2002 to 2014, said tensions between the two countries are longstanding, claiming Pakistan has struggled to maintain stable relations with successive Afghan governments.
He urged Pakistani leaders to change course and pursue a more constructive relationship, saying past strategies of interference and destabilisation had failed and would not succeed in the future.
Fighting between the two countries has intensified since late February, when Pakistan launched airstrikes it says targeted militant infrastructure. The United Nations estimates the violence has displaced more than 100,000 people.
Pakistan has denied targeting civilians, insisting its operations were aimed at militant sites and accusing Kabul of spreading “misleading” claims to deflect from alleged cross-Durand Line threats.
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