Kate Middleton wears her lapis lazuli earrings during the Royal visit in India. (Photo : You Tube/Bombay Times)
Kate Middleton may soon find herself involved in new controversy after recent news reports subtly tied her to terrorism and the Taliban group. It was said that the Duchess of Cambridge may have unknowingly funded the terror activities of the rebels by patronizing expensive jewelries made from deep blue semi-precious stone called lapis lazuli.
According to the Daily Mail UK, the Duchess' predilection in the said gem could be paving a way for the Afghanistan's terrorist groups to get their supply of dollars in order to fund their terrorism activities. Middleton may not really know about this but since the link between lapiz lazuli and how it funds the Taliban have been exposed already, she probably would not dare wear the blue earrings she wore during the recent Royal visit to India ever again.
It was the advocacy group called the Global Witness that revealed the connection between the armed conflict and Afghanistan's natural resources. They investigated the matter for two years and subsequently released a report which they titled the "War in the Treasury of the People: Afghanistan, Lapis Lazuli and the Battle for Mineral Wealth."
The study led the Global Witness to discover that the mines in Northern Afghanistan are supplying more or less $22 million to the rogue fighters, annually. It was further stated that mining serves as Afghanistan's second biggest source of income but unfortunately, 99% of the revenue goes directly to the rebels instead of the government.
On June 6, via press release, campaign leader of Global Witness Stephen Carter said "These lapis mines are one of the richest assets of the Afghan people and should be driving development and prosperity. Instead, the beautiful lapis lazuli stone has become a conflict mineral."
Lastly, Carter urged the leaders around the world to wake up and see how the Afghanistan's mines are doing more harm that good. He also appealed to them to address the problem and act fast so that the mines will not fall further into the hands of the terrorists.
Watch Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge attend the gala reception in Mumbai, India:
