Afghan diplomat in India Zakia Wardak resigns amid gold smuggling allegations

Afghanistan's senior diplomat in India has resigned amid allegations of smuggling nearly $2 million worth of gold into the country.

Zakia Wardak, serving as the Afghan Consul-General in Mumbai, confirmed her resignation via her official handle on X, stating her decision to step down effective May 5, 2024, with regret.

With Afghanistan's embassy in New Delhi closed since November, Wardak assumed the role of the country's highest-ranking official in India, following the Taliban's return to power in Kabul.

Indian media reported that Wardak, along with her son, was detained by financial intelligence authorities at Mumbai airport last month upon arrival from Dubai, carrying 25 kilograms of gold. Though she was not arrested due to diplomatic immunity, the gold, valued at approximately $1.9 million, was seized.

Wardak's resignation leaves numerous Afghan nationals, including students and businessmen in India, without consular representation.

While many nations, including India, refrain from officially recognizing Afghanistan's Taliban government, they acknowledge its de facto authority. Diplomats appointed by the former Afghan government control several embassies abroad, refusing to hand over embassy buildings and property to Taliban representatives.

In her statement, Wardak mentioned facing personal attacks and defamation over the past year, highlighting the challenges encountered by women in Afghan society but making no explicit reference to the gold allegations.

Presently, the Taliban administers approximately a dozen Afghan embassies abroad, while others operate under a hybrid system, conducting routine consular activities despite the absence of an ambassador.

Despite the closure of most embassies in Kabul during the Taliban's resurgence in August 2021, a few, such as Pakistan, China, and Russia, remained operational, retaining their ambassadors in the Afghan capital.