A press conference held by Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, at the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi has sparked a major political and gender rights controversy after women journalists were reportedly barred from attending the event on Thursday.
Muttaqi, who represents the Taliban government, is currently on a week-long visit to India from October 9 to October 16, marking the first high-level Taliban delegation to India since the group took power in Kabul in August 2021.
Political leaders express outrage
The exclusion of female journalists from the press interaction drew sharp criticism from Indian political leaders.
Former Union Minister P. Chidambaram described the move as “shocking” and urged male journalists to show solidarity by walking out of the briefing.
“I am shocked that women journalists were excluded from the press conference addressed by Amir Khan Muttaqi of Afghanistan. In my view, male journalists should have walked out when they found their female colleagues excluded,” Chidambaram wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra also condemned the incident, questioning how such discrimination was allowed to take place on Indian soil.
“How dare our government allow the Taliban Foreign Minister to hold a ‘male-only’ news conference with full protocol? Why did our male journalists remain in the room?” she asked on X.
Congress MP Karti P. Chidambaram went a step further, accusing the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar of legitimizing gender bias in the name of diplomacy.
“Engaging with the Taliban may be a geopolitical compulsion, but accepting their discriminatory practices is absurd. It’s disappointing that the MEA allowed this exclusion,” he said.
MEA distances itself from event
Amid growing backlash, the Ministry of External Affairs issued a clarification, stating that the Indian government had no role in organizing the Taliban minister’s press meet.
“MEA had no involvement in the press interaction held yesterday by Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, in Delhi,” the statement read.
Background: Taliban visit to India
Muttaqi’s visit is part of ongoing efforts to improve bilateral engagement between India and Afghanistan under the Taliban regime. On the first day of his visit, he held a bilateral meeting with EAM S. Jaishankar, discussing cooperation in infrastructure and humanitarian aid.
India also announced new healthcare and community projects for Afghanistan as part of its continuing support to the Afghan people.
The controversy, however, has overshadowed the diplomatic visit, highlighting persistent concerns over the Taliban’s treatment of women and the implications of India’s engagement with the group.
