Afghan diplomat, caught smuggling gold, resigns due to 'personal attacks'

Zakia Wardak, Afghanistan's acting ambassador to India, resigned days after she was purportedly caught smuggling 25 kg of gold worth Rs 18.6 crore from Dubai at Mumbai's airport last month.

In short, 

  • Zakia Wardak was apprehended at Mumbai airport carrying 25 kilogramme of gold valued Rs 18.6 crore.
  • She wasn't detained since she had diplomatic immunity.
Since late November, Wardak has served as Afghanistan's acting ambassador.
A top Afghan diplomat in India has resigned after allegations of complicity in gold smuggling from Dubai surfaced. Zakia Wardak was reportedly apprehended at Mumbai's airport last month for allegedly attempting to smuggle 25 kg of gold worth Rs 18.6 crore from the UAE capital.
Regarding X, WARDAK stated that "numerous personal attacks and defamation"7 were directed against her and her family, affecting her ability to function in the position of an AFGHAN DIPLOMAT. She did not, however, mention the reports that the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized gold from her on April 25.

She had been the interim Ambassador of Afghanistan to New Delhi since late last year, after serving as the Afghan Consul General in Mumbai for over two years.


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Wardak was not arrested for her diplomatic immunity, news agency PTI reported.

"These attacks, which appear to be organised, have severely impacted my ability to effectively operate in my role and have demonstrated the challenges faced by wome in Afghan society who strive to modernise and bring positive change amidst ongoing propaganda campaigns," her statement, released in both Pashto and English, read.

Wardak said the "persistent and coordinated" attacks exceeded a "tolerable threshold". She further stated that while she was prepared to tackle the attacks on her character that were "not altogether surprising", she was not "unprepared for the toll it took on those close to me".

"It is not fair to subject them to such unwarranted and horribly unfair experiences," her statement added.