Female Journalists Excluded from Afghan Foreign Minister's Press Conference in New Delhi

A press conference held by Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, at the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi on Friday has ignited a significant controversy after women journalists were excluded from attending the event. The media interaction, which took place following Muttaqi’s talks with India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, was restricted to only a handful of male reporters and officials, drawing sharp criticism for mirroring the gender based restrictions enforced by the Taliban regime in Kabul.

According to sources familiar with the arrangement, the decision on the guest list was made by the Afghan side accompanying Muttaqi. Reports indicate that the Indian side had suggested the inclusion of female reporters, a recommendation which was not accepted by the visiting delegation. Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) later issued a clarification, stating that it had "no involvement in the press interaction held yesterday by the Afghan FM in Delhi," thereby distancing the Indian government from the exclusionary event, which was organised at the embassy premises.

The exclusion has been widely condemned by journalists, political leaders, and social commentators across India. Several prominent opposition figures took to social media to express their outrage and demand an explanation from the Indian government, calling the incident an "insult" to India’s female journalists and a compromise of the nation's democratic values. Former Union Minister P. Chidambaram expressed his shock, suggesting that the male journalists present should have walked out in solidarity with their excluded female colleagues. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi also sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clarification on the matter, questioning how such an act of discrimination was allowed on Indian soil.

During his address, Minister Muttaqi side, stepped a direct question on the status of women’s rights in Afghanistan, asserting instead that every country has its own customs and principles that should be respected. This is the first high level visit by a Taliban minister to India since the group seized control of Kabul in August 2021, and the press conference served as a stark reminder of the widespread and systematic oppression faced by women under the current regime, which continues to face global condemnation for its policies on women's education, employment, and public life.

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