The Taliban have expelled Harish Kumar, a senior Indian diplomat, accusing him of meeting opponents of the group and attempting to organise them, sources told Afghanistan International.
Kumar was declared “persona non grata” and forced to leave Kabul on 17 August, the sources said. He had served as a diplomat and officer with India’s external intelligence service in Kabul since the fall of the former Afghan government.
According to the sources, Kumar had met with anti-Taliban leaders during visits to Delhi and Qatar, where discussions were held about convening a meeting in Islamabad. That gathering, planned for 25–26 August, was postponed after senior Taliban leaders, including Abdul Ghani Baradar, Yaqoob Mujahid and Amir Khan Muttaqi, strongly objected. The Taliban also publicly criticised Pakistan over the initiative.
The sources said Kumar later explored the possibility of holding a similar meeting in Qatar or Dubai, as Delhi was unhappy about the prospect of such talks taking place in Islamabad.
Kumar returned to Kabul on 13 August and, two days later, reportedly met several Taliban opponents at a restaurant in the Shahr-e-Naw district. Taliban intelligence raided the meeting, detaining Afghan participants, the sources said.
On 16 August, Taliban officials summoned Indian embassy staff and informed them of their decision to expel Kumar. He left Kabul the following day for Delhi. The Indian embassy has not yet commented.
Despite decades of hostility, India and the Taliban have expanded contacts over the past two years. India handed control of Afghan embassies and consulates to the Taliban, while the foreign ministers of both sides have spoken by phone at least twice. India also invited the Taliban’s foreign minister to Delhi twice, though the visits were blocked by the UN Security Council.
At the same time, Pakistan has accused the Taliban of colluding with Delhi to support Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Baloch separatists , allegations the Taliban deny.
