The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Female journalists were barred from attending a press conference by Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi at the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi on Friday, Indian media reported.
According to the reports, only male journalists were allowed
to participate in the event, a restriction imposed by Taliban officials.
Representatives from India’s Ministry of External Affairs had reportedly proposed
that female journalists also be invited, but the Taliban refused the request.
The move sparked widespread criticism across India. Former
Home Minister P. Chidambaram said he was shocked by the Taliban’s action on
Indian soil. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, he wrote that male journalists
should have walked out in protest of their female colleagues’ exclusion.
Member of Parliament Priyanka Gandhi Vadra urged Prime
Minister Narendra Modi to clarify his position on the incident. Mahua Moitra, a
lawmaker from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) party, also condemned the move,
saying, “By allowing the Taliban minister to exclude female journalists, the
government has insulted all women in India.”
Asked about the situation of women in Afghanistan, Muttaqi
avoided a direct response, saying, “Every country has its own laws and
traditions, and they should be respected.”
Media analysts in India said the Taliban’s conduct echoed
its restrictive policies on women’s rights in Afghanistan, where women remain
barred from education and public life under Taliban rule.
