New Delhi, April 17: The foreign ministry has sent an emissary to New Zealand to persuade Indian high commissioner Harish Kumar Dogra, who has defied his recall order, to return.

Joint secretary (south) Biren Nanda has reached Wellington where he met Dogra.

The diplomat was recalled on complaints made by some members of the Indian community about his conduct.

Biren, who was in Singapore, was asked to visit New Zealand after the controversy left the ministry red-faced.

In defiance of his recall order, Dogra fired a salvo at foreign secretary Shyam Saran asking him to step down. The contents of his letter were leaked to local newspapers, prompting the foreign ministry to reprimand Dogra for distributing scurrilous material in public.

He was also asked to restrain himself as his moves caused embarrassment to the government in New Zealand, which has a sizeable Indian population.

The ministry had issued a stern warning to Dogra and charged him with insubordination after he accused the foreign secretary of bringing shame to India’s image in New Zealand.

An officer of the secretary rank, Dogra held Saran responsible for treating him unceremoniously. He said he was not allowed to explain his position.

Dogra is planning to move the central administrative tribunal against the punishment meted out to him. He has refused to come until Saran retires in September this year as he does not want to work under him. The diplomat also accused the foreign ministry of spreading wrong stories about him in the media.

His wife Neeta told agencies in Wellington that there was a danger to her family’s life in India. She claimed to have receive threats after Dogra was asked to return.