Farid Mamundzay, who was appointed Afghan ambassador by the previous government and has held the position until now, has refuted alleged corruption claims against him and called the reports "baseless" in a Facebook post.
The situation began at the Afghan Embassy after an article was published in the Afghan news agency Bokhdi on Saturday. Just a day after the report by Bokhdi news agency, Tolo News, an Afghan news channel, shared a screenshot of an unsigned letter from "Afghan refugees based in India," which listed the names of three diplomats, including the ambassador. The letter accused them of corruption related to a rental agreement with an Indian company.
Two hours later, Mamundzay criticized the Afghan media in a Facebook post and denied the allegations, stating that some media platforms were spreading one-sided and biased reports without any truth.
The post read, "Unfortunately, for the past three days, some media outlets, citing unknown and unsubstantiated sources, have been disseminating one-sided and biased reports against the noble professions of law and journalism, which hold no truth."
In the post, he also reassured his fellow countrymen that their previous and current positions would be fulfilled.
"Although the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in India is not interested in responding to allegations from unknown and unsubstantiated sources, in order to alleviate the concerns of our dear countrymen, it assures all citizens that their previous and current positions will be upheld. We will act with complete honesty and transparency and strongly reject the biased rumours spread by the media without seeking the embassy's opinion," the post stated.
Meanwhile, there are also reports that after nearly two and a half years since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan, the regime is pondering a change in leadership at the Afghan Embassy in India.
The reports were denied by the Afghanistan Embassy in New Delhi. "The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan categorically rejects the claims from an individual claiming to have taken charge of the mission in New Delhi at the behest of the Taliban," said the Embassy in a statement.
"The individual who claims to have been named “chargé d'affaires” by the Taliban has been responsible for spreading misinformation and running a baseless and unsubstantiated campaign against officials of the mission, including totally fabricated allegations of corruption based on an unsigned letter, it added.
The move was confirmed by Suhail Shaheen, the chief of the Taliban's political office in Doha and the ambassador-designate to the United Nations.
In an interview with The Times of India, Shaheen stated, "It will build trust and pave the way for better relations with India."