Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who is on a visit to India, held talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi on Friday. Following the meeting, the Afghan foreign minister addressed a restricted press conference at the Afghan Embassy, where only a select group of journalists were invited. However, no women journalists were allowed to attend, a decision reportedly taken by Taliban officials.
Criticism Over Women Journalists’ Exclusion
The exclusion of female journalists has drawn sharp criticism from Indian leaders. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stance on women’s rights, calling the move an insult to Indian women. Former Union Minister P. Chidambaram also expressed disappointment, saying male journalists should have boycotted the press conference in solidarity with their female colleagues.
Prime Minister @narendramodi ji, please clarify your position on the removal of female journalists from the press conference of the representative of the Taliban on his visit to India.
If your recognition of women’s rights isn’t just convenient posturing from one election to…
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) October 11, 2025
I am shocked that women journalists were excluded from the press conference addressed by Mr Amir Khan Muttaqi of Afghanistan
In my personal view, the men journalists should have walked out when they found that their women colleagues were excluded (or not invited)
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) October 11, 2025
