The Taliban have dispatched Mufti Noor Ahmad Noor, a senior official at the group’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to oversee Afghanistan’s embassy in New Delhi.
According to The Hindu Newspaper, citing sources, the report was published on Friday night, January 9, 2026, and states that Noor is expected to serve as acting head of the embassy. The appointment was agreed upon by both sides following a visit to New Delhi by Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s foreign minister, in October 2025.
Based on the report, Mufti Noor had previously accompanied Muttaqi during a week-long official visit to India and also paid visits to the Darul Uloom Deoband seminary.
The report adds that former embassy staff and the tricolor flag of the previous Afghan government will, for now, remain in place, though this arrangement may change once the Taliban’s representative formally assumes his duties.
This move comes as India has not formally recognized the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, despite maintaining close relations with the group.
Previously, in April 2023, the Taliban had also attempted to appoint an acting head for the Afghan embassy in New Delhi, but faced resistance from embassy staff, who denied the nominee entry.
