Taliban Deputy Minister Makes Rare Trip To New Delhi

The newspaper Junge Freiheit said more than 600 Afghans slated for relocation to Germany had been detained in Pakistan, with about 250 of them already sent back to Afghanistan.

According to the report, Pakistan has detained 661 Afghans since mid-August, deporting 248 of them. Among those affected were 51 former local employees of Germany, 124 people accepted under Germany’s special admission programme, and 73 others in separate resettlement schemes.

Germany’s Interior and Foreign Ministries said deportations had been stopped in more than 300 cases, with those individuals still in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, more than 200 deported Afghans who had previously received guarantees of entry to Germany have appealed to Berlin in a letter, urging immediate action to protect their lives. They said they are living in fear of the Taliban after being returned to Afghanistan.

A spokesperson for Germany’s Foreign Ministry stressed that each case is subject to an “individual review,” adding that entry would not be granted if there were security concerns.

At present, more than 2,000 Afghans approved under official German relocation programmes remain in Pakistan, awaiting flights to Germany.

The ministry said Harish Kumar, a senior Indian diplomat, was not declared “persona non grata,” contradicting earlier reports that he had been forced out over alleged contacts with Taliban opponents.

India’s Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions states that diplomatic postings abroad are typically for three years and may be extended. Records reviewed by Afghanistan International show Kumar’s diplomatic passport, number D1156181, was issued on 15 September 2023. His visa indicated that his first entry into Afghanistan was on 24 May 2025, meaning his stay lasted less than three months, around 85 days, before his departure.

Sources in Kabul earlier told Afghanistan International that the Taliban expelled Kumar on 17 August for meeting with anti-Taliban figures and attempting to organise them. They said the Taliban labelled him “persona non grata” and forced him to leave the country.

Kumar had been posted to Kabul after the fall of Afghanistan’s previous government, serving as both a diplomat and an officer with India’s external intelligence agency.

According to the sources, he had held talks with opposition leaders during trips to Delhi and Qatar about convening a meeting in Islamabad. They added that Kumar also explored the possibility of organising a similar gathering in Qatar or Dubai, noting that Delhi was dissatisfied with the prospect of such a meeting being held in Islamabad.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said about 2.6 million Afghans have returned, many through forced deportations, and described the situation as a “crisis within a crisis.” The agency noted that local communities are still reeling from the impact of recent earthquakes while facing a surge in returnees from Pakistan.

According to UNHCR, Pakistan has expelled more than 554,000 Afghan migrants since April, including 143,000 in August alone. In the first week of September, more than 100,000 Afghans returned.

The agency urged Pakistan to extend the legal stay of vulnerable Afghans, pointing to the country’s long record of hosting refugees.

UNHCR also confirmed it has suspended some operations in Afghanistan after the Taliban barred female staff from entering its offices. It stressed that aid for women cannot be delivered without female employees and called for the immediate lifting of restrictions.

The agency warned that without fresh funding, it will be unable to continue delivering life-saving assistance to returnees.

The delegation included Abdul Qahar Balkhi, spokesperson for the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry.

Radio Hurriyat, a Taliban-linked outlet, reported that the five-member team visited Austria, where they held discussions with the Interior and Foreign Ministries on Afghanistan’s diplomatic representation.

The outlet said the delegation also travelled to Switzerland and Germany in recent weeks, meeting officials to discuss similar issues. Taliban authorities have not commented publicly on the visits.

In late July, Balkhi confirmed that the Taliban had cooperated with the German government on deportations of Afghan refugees, a process he said was facilitated by Qatar. He added that further talks were planned to ensure “transparent and standard consular services” for Afghans living in Germany.

Germany’s Foreign Ministry confirmed to Afghanistan International in early August that Taliban diplomats had entered the country and would begin work after completing administrative procedures. The ministry said the move was intended to meet the consular needs of Afghans in Germany.

In late August, Swiss state television reported that four Taliban diplomats had travelled to Geneva to help identify Afghan nationals convicted of crimes.

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.