Kabul/Delhi, September 14, 2025 (Agencies): Afghanistan’s interim government has declared Harish Kumar, a senior officer of India’s Research & Analysis Wing (RAW), persona non grata and expelled him from the country over allegations of engaging with Taliban-linked groups and mobilizing anti-Taliban factions in Kabul.
Kumar, who held Indian passport number D 1156181 and was based in Himachal Pradesh, had been serving as a liaison officer at the Afghan Embassy in Kabul following the Taliban’s takeover. Afghan officials accused him of holding meetings with Afghans in contact with the Pakistani Taliban as well as coordinating with anti-Taliban figures to organize a planned conference, initially scheduled for Pakistan but later postponed, with Qatar and Dubai considered as alternate venues.
On August 15, Kumar reportedly met several anti-Taliban Afghans at a restaurant in Kabul’s Shahre Naw area. The gathering was raided by the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI), leading to arrests of multiple participants. The following day, Afghan authorities formally informed the Indian Embassy of Kumar’s expulsion. He departed for New Delhi on August 17.
Taliban officials have alleged that Kumar’s activities amounted to interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs. The expulsion is the latest sign of tensions between Kabul and New Delhi, which has been cautiously engaging with the Taliban administration while continuing to support development projects in the country.
New Delhi has not issued an official statement regarding the incident, but diplomatic sources indicated that India is monitoring the situation closely. Analysts say the expulsion underscores the fragile nature of Afghanistan’s ties with regional powers and the Taliban’s heightened scrutiny of foreign intelligence activity within its borders.