{"id":7151,"date":"2024-05-04T18:13:21","date_gmt":"2024-05-04T18:13:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=7151"},"modified":"2024-05-04T18:13:21","modified_gmt":"2024-05-04T18:13:21","slug":"afghanistans-only-female-diplomat-resigns-amid-smuggling-allegations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=7151","title":{"rendered":"Afghanistan&#8217;s only female diplomat resigns amid smuggling allegations"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/gdb.voanews.com\/70357601-FCDA-4A15-AB2E-B5741AE9D03B_w800_h450.png\" \/><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"wsw\">\n<span class=\"dateline\">ISLAMABAD \u2014\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>An Afghan diplomat in India, who was appointed before the Taliban seized power in 2021 and said she was the only woman in the country&#8217;s diplomatic service, has resigned after reports emerged of her being detained for allegedly smuggling gold.<\/p>\n<p>Zakia Wardak, the Afghan consul-general for Mumbai, announced her resignation on her official account on the social media platform X on Saturday after Indian media reported last week that she was briefly detained at the city\u2019s airport on allegations of smuggling 25 bricks of gold, each weighing 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds), from Dubai.<\/p>\n<p>According to Indian media reports, she has not been arrested because of her diplomatic immunity.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement, Wardak made no mention of her reported detention or gold smuggling allegations but said, \u201cI am deeply sorry that as the only woman present in Afghanistan\u2019s diplomatic apparatus, instead of receiving constructive support to maintain this position, I faced waves of organized attacks aimed at destroying me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOver the past year, I have encountered numerous personal attacks and defamation not only directed towards myself but also towards &#8230; close family and extended relatives,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Wardak said the attacks have \u201cseverely impacted my ability to effectively operate in my role and have demonstrated the challenges faced by women in Afghan society.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Taliban Foreign Ministry did not immediately return calls for comment on Wardak\u2019s resignation. It wasn&#8217;t immediately possible to confirm whether she was the country&#8217;s only female diplomat.<\/p>\n<p>She was appointed consul-general of Afghanistan in Mumbai during the former government and was the first Afghan female diplomat to collaborate with the Taliban.<\/p>\n<p>The Taliban \u2014 who took over Afghanistan in 2021 during the final weeks of U.S. and NATO withdrawal from the country \u2014 have barred women from most areas of public life and stopped girls from going to school beyond the sixth grade as part of harsh measures they imposed despite initial promises of a more moderate rule.<\/p>\n<p>They are also restricting women\u2019s access to work, travel and health care if they are unmarried or don\u2019t have a male guardian, and arresting those who don\u2019t comply with the Taliban\u2019s interpretation of hijab, or Islamic headscarf.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.voanews.com\/a\/7598055.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ISLAMABAD \u2014\u00a0 An Afghan diplomat in India, who was appointed before the Taliban seized power&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7152,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.10 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Afghanistan&#039;s only female diplomat resigns amid smuggling allegations - International Pulse<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=7151\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Afghanistan&#039;s only female diplomat resigns amid smuggling allegations - International Pulse\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"ISLAMABAD \u2014\u00a0 An Afghan diplomat in India, who was appointed before the Taliban seized power...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=7151\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"International Pulse\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-05-04T18:13:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/gdb.voanews.com\/70357601-FCDA-4A15-AB2E-B5741AE9D03B_w800_h450.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=7151\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=7151\",\"name\":\"Afghanistan's only female diplomat resigns amid smuggling allegations - International Pulse\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-04T18:13:21+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-05-04T18:13:21+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/#\/schema\/person\/d507bf8682a9ef7e3ad7a69d9db5e1c3\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=7151#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=7151\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=7151#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Afghanistan&#8217;s only female diplomat resigns amid smuggling allegations\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/\",\"name\":\"International Pulse\",\"description\":\"There&#039;s a different sound here\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/#\/schema\/person\/d507bf8682a9ef7e3ad7a69d9db5e1c3\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f8e3f392738821708fe4235b6ffa7215?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f8e3f392738821708fe4235b6ffa7215?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/demo6.aiwalls.com\/automatic-news\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Afghanistan's only female diplomat resigns amid smuggling allegations - International Pulse","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=7151","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Afghanistan's only female diplomat resigns amid smuggling allegations - International Pulse","og_description":"ISLAMABAD \u2014\u00a0 An Afghan diplomat in India, who was appointed before the Taliban seized power...","og_url":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=7151","og_site_name":"International Pulse","article_published_time":"2024-05-04T18:13:21+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/gdb.voanews.com\/70357601-FCDA-4A15-AB2E-B5741AE9D03B_w800_h450.png"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=7151","url":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=7151","name":"Afghanistan's only female diplomat resigns amid smuggling allegations - International Pulse","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-05-04T18:13:21+00:00","dateModified":"2024-05-04T18:13:21+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/#\/schema\/person\/d507bf8682a9ef7e3ad7a69d9db5e1c3"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=7151#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=7151"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=7151#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Afghanistan&#8217;s only female diplomat resigns amid smuggling allegations"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/#website","url":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/","name":"International Pulse","description":"There&#039;s a different sound here","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/#\/schema\/person\/d507bf8682a9ef7e3ad7a69d9db5e1c3","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f8e3f392738821708fe4235b6ffa7215?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f8e3f392738821708fe4235b6ffa7215?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/demo6.aiwalls.com\/automatic-news"],"url":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?author=1"}]}},"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/F7136B7C-A395-4AE9-A049-2E82C5F61660.jpg",1200,628,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/F7136B7C-A395-4AE9-A049-2E82C5F61660-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/F7136B7C-A395-4AE9-A049-2E82C5F61660-300x157.jpg",300,157,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/F7136B7C-A395-4AE9-A049-2E82C5F61660-768x402.jpg",640,335,true],"large":["https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/F7136B7C-A395-4AE9-A049-2E82C5F61660-1024x536.jpg",640,335,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/F7136B7C-A395-4AE9-A049-2E82C5F61660.jpg",1200,628,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/F7136B7C-A395-4AE9-A049-2E82C5F61660.jpg",1200,628,false],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/F7136B7C-A395-4AE9-A049-2E82C5F61660-1115x628.jpg",1115,628,true],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/F7136B7C-A395-4AE9-A049-2E82C5F61660-800x500.jpg",800,500,true],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/F7136B7C-A395-4AE9-A049-2E82C5F61660-1024x536.jpg",1024,536,true],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/F7136B7C-A395-4AE9-A049-2E82C5F61660-540x340.jpg",540,340,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/F7136B7C-A395-4AE9-A049-2E82C5F61660-400x250.jpg",400,250,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?author=1"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?cat=9\" rel=\"category\">News<\/a>","tag_info":"News","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7151"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7151"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7151\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}