Afghan diplomat resigns after charge of gold smuggling

Zakia Wardak, who was sent to India as the consul general in Mumbai three years ago and had been functioning as acting ambassador in New Delhi since late last year, said in a statement posted on X that she was stepping down because "numerous personal attacks and defamation" had "severely impacted my ability to effectively operate in my role".

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The statement, posted in Dari, Pashto & English, made no mention of reports that she was stopped by officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) at Mumbai airport on April 25 while returning from Dubai and found to be allegedly carrying 25 one-kilogram gold bars worth more than ₹18 crore.

Since Wardak was travelling on a diplomatic passport issued by the erstwhile Afghan government led by Ashraf Ghani, she wasn't arrested. People familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity that she was questioned for more than 12 hours after gold bars were found hidden in pockets sewn into her jacket and a waist belt.

The DRI acted because there were suspicions that Wardak had allegedly smuggled gold into India on other occasions since late last year, the people said. They added that the physical search conducted by the DRI didn't violate provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

At the time she was stopped, Wardak was travelling with her son, who was not found to be carrying any contraband, the people said. Wardak has travelled often to Dubai in recent months, they said.

Though Wardak was appointed by the Ashraf Ghani government, videos and images posted on social media by the current Taliban set-up in Kabul have shown her participating in virtual meetings chaired by the Taliban's acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

There was no word on the development from Indian officials. Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen, when contacted by HT, said he would check and respond.

Wardak and another Afghan consul general based in Hyderabad, Syed Mohammad Ibrahimkhail, took over the affairs of the Afghanistan embassy in New Delhi last November shortly after it was closed by former ambassador Farid Mamundzay, who moved to the UK.

The Indian side has contended that Wardak and Ibrahimkhail didn't represent the Taliban as they were appointed by the previous regime, did not fly the Taliban flag at Afghan diplomatic facilities or use the term "Islamic Emirate" (the nomenclature of the Taliban) in their formal communications.

Wardak contended she was functioning under the flag of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and she and Ibrahimkhail have participated in numerous meetings with Indian officials in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and other cities. On March 23, Wardak had hosted the senior-most Indian diplomat handling Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran at the Afghan embassy in New Delhi.

A former senior Afghan official, who didn't want to be named, described the developments involving Wardak as an embarrassment for Afghanistan and the Taliban set-up.

Wardak said in her statement about her resignation that she was unprepared for the toll that attacks on her took "on those close to me". She added, "The persistent and coordinated nature of these attacks, aimed at defaming my character and undermining my efforts, have surpassed a tolerable threshold."

She also thanked the Indian government for its "unwavering support" to her.