NEW DELHI: The Taliban-led government of Afghanistan has appointed Ikramuddin Kamil as its acting consul in Mumbai in a bid to increase its diplomatic presence in India. This is the first such appointment made by the Taliban in any of its missions in India and comes a few days after an Indian delegation visited Kabul.
Kamil holds a PhD degree in international law and had earlier served as the deputy director in the department of security cooperation and border affairs in the foreign ministry of Afghanistan.
Kamil studied in India for seven years while completing his doctorate from South Asia University on an MEA scholarship.
"Kamil has agreed to function as a diplomat in the Afghan consulate and is an Afghan national working for Afghans in India. As far as the issue of recognition of the Taliban, there is a set process for recognition of any government and India will continue to work with the international community on this issue," said a source.
It may be recalled that over the past three years, Afghan diplomats manning the embassy and consulates in India have left seeking refuge or asylum in different Western countries. A lone former diplomat who continued to stay in India has somehow kept the Afghan missions running.
There is a large Afghan community based in India which is in need of consular services for which more diplomatic staff are required.