Minus a government and funds, Afghan Embassy in Delhi faces a bleak future
The Hindu
Expected more from India, says Ambassador about visas issued to Afghans
Four months after the collapse of the government in Afghanistan to Taliban forces, its Embassy in Delhi faces a bleak future with no financial assistance, and an unclear formal status. The embassy headed by Ambassador Farid Mamundzay, who was only posted to India earlier this year, now comprises a small staff of 20 Afghan diplomats, while the local Indian staff have had to be cut back on given budgetary constraints. While Mr. Mamundzay declined to speak on discussions with the Government of India for support, he admitted the embassy was disappointed by the small number of visas granted to Afghans in need by India, and hopes that more food and medical aid would be forthcoming after the first batch was sent by air last week.
“Running an embassy requires policy, administrative and financial support. At present, none of the 70 Afghan missions worldwide, with the possible exception of Beijing and Islamabad are receiving any support from Kabul,” Mr. Mamundzay told The Hindu, sitting at his office in Delhi’s diplomatic enclave, where ousted President Ashraf Ghani’s photograph still adorns the wall above his desk. When asked why, Mr. Mamundzay shrugged, adding that it is unclear whose photograph should replace it.
“At present, we represent the geographic landmass and people of Afghanistan…we represent a republic that is lost for the moment,” he said, in a reference to the Taliban’s decision to recast its interim regime as the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan”, with a Taliban flag. However, like most of the other 70 missions, the Delhi Embassy has retained the republic and its tricolour flag of black, red and green. According to the diplomat, until the Taliban forms a formal government that is inclusive, representative and keeps promises made, including on the rights of women and minorities, the embassy cannot represent it. “For now, we have lost a state, and the results are catastrophic”.
“Writing, in general, is a very solitary process,” says Yauvanika Chopra, Associate Director at The New India Foundation (NIF), which, earlier this year, announced the 12th edition of its NIF Book Fellowships for research and scholarship about Indian history after Independence. While authors, in general, are built for it, it can still get very lonely, says Chopra, pointing out that the fellowship’s community support is as valuable as the monetary benefits it offers. “There is a solid community of NIF fellows, trustees, language experts, jury members, all of whom are incredibly competent,” she says. “They really help make authors feel supported from manuscript to publication, so you never feel like you’re struggling through isolation.”
Several principals of government and private schools in Delhi on Tuesday said the Directorate of Education (DoE) circular from a day earlier, directing schools to conduct classes in ‘hybrid’ mode, had caused confusion regarding day-to-day operations as they did not know how many students would return to school from Wednesday and how would teachers instruct in two modes — online and in person — at once. The DoE circular on Monday had also stated that the option to “exercise online mode of education, wherever available, shall vest with the students and their guardians”. Several schoolteachers also expressed confusion regarding the DoE order. A government schoolteacher said he was unsure of how to cope with the resumption of physical classes, given that the order directing government offices to ensure that 50% of the employees work from home is still in place. On Monday, the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) had, on the orders of the Supreme Court, directed schools in Delhi-NCR to shift classes to the hybrid mode, following which the DoE had issued the circular. The court had urged the Centre’s pollution watchdog to consider restarting physical classes due to many students missing out on the mid-day meals and lacking the necessary means to attend classes online. The CAQM had, on November 20, asked schools in Delhi-NCR to shift to the online mode of teaching.