The Taliban government in Kabul has suggested a student who studied in New Delhi as the Acting Consul at Afghanistan's Consulate in Mumbai. Ikramuddin Kamil, who has been studying in India for seven years, has been chosen as the envoy for the Mumbai consulate, according to Afghanistan's Tolo News. This comes during a period of quiet diplomacy after the Taliban took over Afghanistan, leading India to cut official ties with its neighbour.

However, New Delhi has yet to approve the move. In case it received approval, this would mark the Taliban's first diplomatic appointment to an Afghan mission in India since taking over the country in August 2021. Ikramuddin Kamil, a young Afghan national, has been studying in India for seven years. He is working on his PhD in international law at South Asia University in Delhi, with a scholarship from India's Ministry of External Affairs. This news was also shared by Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the Taliban's deputy foreign minister for political affairs, who confirmed Kamil's new role on social media.

"In the city of Mumbai, India, the acting Consul of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Dr Hafiz Ikramuddin Kamil," said Stanikzai, who is also connected to India, wrote on X. According to Kabul's Bakhtar News Agency, Kamil, who is now in Mumbai, was previously the Deputy Director of the Department of Security Cooperation and Border Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His long experience in India may have been seen as a positive factor for the new role. While Bakhtar News Agency reported that Kamil is "fulfilling his duties" in Mumbai, The Indian Express mentioned that "India has not officially responded to the issue."

However, his position remains that of an Afghan national working for the Afghan community in India, not as an officially recognised diplomat by the Indian government, according to a source in The Indian Express. After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, India withdrew its diplomats from Kabul and other cities. Afghan diplomats from the Indian embassy in New Delhi also left the country. Since 2021, the Taliban's 'Islamic Emirate of the Taliban' has been working to manage about 40 Afghan diplomatic missions around the world. These missions are meant to establish official representation and offer support to Afghan citizens living abroad, according to Tolo News.

In India, there is a growing need for consular services due to the large Afghan community. Currently, a former Afghan diplomat has been the sole person managing the Afghan mission in India, as reported by The Indian Express. A "lack of support from the host government and the failure to meet expectations in serving Afghanistan's interests" were the reasons given by the Embassy of the "Islamic Republic of Afghanistan" for closing its activities in India in October 2023. "Maintaining relations with India, especially when Afghanistan faces global isolation and Afghan citizens and traders need secure economic ties, could solve many of Afghanistan's challenges," Aziz Maarij, a former Afghan diplomat told Tolo News.

This appointment request follows an Indian mission led by JP Singh, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs' Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division, visiting Kabul. Randhir Jaiswal, the official spokeswoman for the MEA, stated at a press conference on November 7 that Singh also reportedly met with "the interim Defence Minister of Afghanistan". 

The delegation met with Afghanistan's interim defence minister, Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, to discuss several issues, including using the Chabahar Port in Iran to improve connectivity and provide humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, as stated by Jaiswal. Although India has not officially recognised the Taliban government and diplomatic talks have been limited, the proposal for Kamil's appointment comes at a time when the Taliban is seeking a seat at the United Nations. This raises questions about whether there is a shift in India's approach toward building a relationship with the Taliban, but only time will tell.