The Taliban government has dismissed Naqibullah Dehqanzada, the Afghan Consul in Khorog, the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), and shut down the Afghan Consulate in the city.
This was reported on December 22 by the Afghan newspaper Hasht-e Subh, which stated that the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs ceased the consulate's operations on December 15.
Tajikistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed this information, noting that "such a decision was made by the Afghan government itself." They added, "We are aware of this issue. According to international agreements, the opening or closure of a consulate in another country is the decision of the government itself."
Hasht-e Subh reported that Naqibullah Dehqanzada, who had been the consul under the previous Afghan government, began cooperating with the Taliban after the regime change in Afghanistan. According to the source, Dehqanzada transferred $120,000 to the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, although the intended use of the funds remains unclear.
Afghan media have reported that Dehqanzada's dismissal came amid discussions within the Taliban government to appoint him as Afghanistan’s new ambassador to Tajikistan, replacing Mohammad Zahir Agbar.
The Taliban government has yet to issue an official statement regarding the closure of the consulate in Khorog.
Background of the situation
In November 2023, two years after the Taliban’s return to power, Dehqanzada announced that the Afghan Consulate in Khorog was officially operational and directly controlled by the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This statement was made in response to claims by Mohammad Zahir Agbar, the former Afghan Ambassador to Tajikistan, who argued that the consulate had suspended operations due to a lack of financial resources.
However, in February 2024, Tajikistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that the consulate in Khorog was not under Taliban control and that Tajikistan had not accredited any representatives of the Taliban.
“The staff of the Afghan Consulate in Khorog has not changed since 2020. The personnel currently working there were accredited in 2020. If the Taliban appoint a new leader, it is their decision,” stated Tajikistan’s Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin at the time.
Tajikistan’s position and potential shifts
It is important to note that Tajikistan is the only country in Central Asia that does not have direct political-diplomatic relations with the Taliban. However, recent reports of bilateral meetings and consultations have raised speculation about a possible warming of relations between Dushanbe and the current Afghan authorities.
For instance, Tajik media recently reported a visit by a Tajik delegation led by Deputy Head of the Khatlon Province, Zarobiddin Fayzullozoda, to Kunduz, where they met with Mullah Muhammad Khan, the Taliban-appointed governor of the province.
Earlier, there were also reports of a visit by the governor of Balkh, Yusuf Wafa, to Dushanbe, where he met with Tajikistan’s State Committee for National Security (SCNS) Chairman, Saimumin Yatimov, and the Chairman of the Council of Ulema of Tajikistan, Saidmukarram Abduqkodirzoda.
Additionally, Afghan media reported that Saimumin Yatimov visited Kabul and met with Taliban representatives, though Tajikistan’s official authorities have neither confirmed nor denied these visits and meetings.
The closure of the Afghan consulate in Khorog and these diplomatic exchanges highlight the evolving, albeit cautious, diplomatic landscape between Tajikistan and Afghanistan under the Taliban’s rule.
