Only Afghan diplomat in India resigns days after gold smuggling reports

MUMBAI: Afghanistan’s top diplomat in India Zakia Wardak resigned days after she was reportedly caught by airport authorities smuggling nearly $2 million worth of gold into the country.

Taking on social media platform X, Zakia Wardak shared a statement, announcing her resignation from her role as the Consul General of Afghanistan in India’s Mumbai, effective May 5, 2024.

Last year in November, Afghanistan’s embassy in New Delhi shut down, more than two years after the Taliban returned to power in Kabul following the collapse of the Western-backed government, leaving Wardak as the country’s most senior representative in India.

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In a statement, the Afghan diplomat said, “Over the past year, I have encountered numerous personal attacks and defamation not only directed towards me but also towards my close family and extended relatives. These attacks, which appear to be organized, have severely impacted my ability to effectively operate in my role and have demonstrated the challenges faced by women in Afghan society who strive to modernize and bring positive change amidst ongoing propaganda campaigns.”

“While attacks on me and my character were not altogether surprising, as being in public life is something I had prepared myself for, I was unprepared for the toll it took on those close to me. It is not fair to subject them to such unwarranted and unfair experiences,” she said.

Last month, Indian media reported that Afghan diplomat Wardak was stopped by financial intelligence authorities at Mumbai airport on arrival from Dubai along with her son carrying 25 kilograms of gold. She was not arrested because of her diplomatic immunity, the reports said, but the gold, worth around $1.9 million, was confiscated.

However, Zakia Wardak’s resignation leaves thousands of Afghan nationals, including students and businessmen, without any consular representation in India.