Members of the Afghan Australian community are concerned about the future of Afghanistan's embassy, after reports the federal government has advised the current ambassador his diplomatic credentials won't be renewed in February.
Ambassador Wahidullah Waissi, appointed in 2017, has stayed on at the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan since the Taliban took over the country in 2021.
It's considered an embassy-in-exile but has continued to issue official documents such as passports, visas, and verifying IDs to thousands of Afghan citizens living in Australia.
But its services haven't been operating as normal since the Taliban announced in July 2024 that it would no longer recognise consular documents issued by 14 embassies related to the former republic, including the Canberra facility.
The uncertainty has left the diaspora community feeling vulnerable, but crucial questions about the embassy's fate have been left unanswered.
The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Deakin, Canberra. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch
'The second fall of Afghanistan'
Travel agency Bamyan Air Travels, which has worked with the Afghan embassy for 19 years, said it hasn't been able to obtain a single document through the embassy since the Taliban's announcement.
"Even if they want to provide documents, what is the point if they're not accepted. They can't provide them," Bamyan's CEO, Ali Sarwari, said.
"They have no relationship or communication with the inside."
Jonathan Muir, chief of protocol at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and a former ambassador to Qatar, told SBS News it's clear the embassy cannot continue to operate as it has been.
"The ambassador was sent and accredited to represent a sending state. In practice, that accreditation requires a subordinate of the sending state," he said.
"That state no longer exists and practical risks are accruing around the provision of the services of the embassy."
However, Independent senator Fatima Payman, who was born in Kabul and fled to Australia as a child, said losing the embassy would be like "the second fall of Afghanistan".
"This will be the second fall of Afghanistan. We have already lost our country and this is our second home," she said.
Independent senator Fatima Payman has expressed concerns on behalf of Afghans in Australia. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch
Unanswered questions
Outside the embassy in Canberra's suburb of Deakin, Waissi had little to say about the future of the building he stood in front of.
He shook his head when asked what the Afghan community could expect in the coming months.
When asked what services the embassy is currently providing, Waissi said: "I'm not answering that question."
The secrecy is only adding to the confusion for the Afghan community in Australia.
Currently, the only way to access document services is through a Taliban delegate.
However, with the Australian government stressing that it does not recognise the Taliban, people from Afghanistan risk being stranded — unless the federal government forms a diplomatic relationship with the Taliban.
However, Professor William Maley from the Australian National University said forming such a relationship would be a potential security risk for Afghans who have fled the regime.
"Somebody acting in a consular fashion on behalf of the Taliban might then demand access to the personal records of people who have interacted with the embassy in the past," he said.
Opposition foreign affairs spokesperson Michaelia Cash said a diplomatic relationship with the Taliban should not be on the table.
"The Taliban are a violent and oppressive regime that basically breach human rights on a daily basis," she said.
"Australia must absolutely maintain constant vigilance in relation to never recognising the Taliban regime."
Without clear answers from either the embassy or the federal government, Payman said the community is anxious about the future.
"There has been a void created by the government's secrecy and the department's lack of responses, and as you can imagine, the community is rightfully anxious."
This story was produced in collaboration with SBS Pashto.
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