Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who is on a groundbreaking six-day visit to India, on Friday held a press conference at New Delhi, in which female journalists were allegedly not allowed to participate, sparking widespread criticism.
Female journalists, including senior correspondents of prominent news channels and a reporter of The Independent, were barred from participating in the crucial presser, which was held after the minister met with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
The move has been condemned by journalists as a reflection of the Taliban's misogyny. The Taliban, the current ruling power in Afghanistan, is known for its misogynistic policies towards Afghan women, barring them from secondary schools, higher education and most workplaces.
The journalists also slammed the Indian government for giving space for such discriminatory policies in the country.
"Right under the Indian government's nose, in the heart of the capital city, the Afghan Foreign Minister Muttaqi holds a press conference, intentionally excluding any female journalists. How can this be allowed? Who approved such an outrageous disregard for representation?," asked author and journalist Nayanima Basu in a post on X.
"What is even more ridiculous is that the Taliban FM is allowed to bring their abhorrent and illegal discrimination against women to India, as the government hosts the Taliban delegation with full official protocol. This isn't pragmatism, this is supplication," said Suhasini Haidar of The Hindu.
Echoing similar sentiments, journalist Shashank Mattoo wrote, "It’s legitimate for India to engage the Taliban in pursuit of its security interests But for the Taliban to apply their discriminatory, and frankly abhorrent, views to female Indian journalists on Indian soil is ridiculous. We shouldn’t stand for it."
"Apparently, Indian women journalists cannot attend a presser [in India] because the Taliban likes it that way," quipped journalist Alishan Jafri.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has not yet reacted to the incident.
Meanwhile, India on Friday announced that it will reopen its embassy in Afghanistan, as part of a carefully calibrated shift in New Delhi's approach to the Taliban regime in Kabul.
"India is fully committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Afghanistan,” said Jaishankar in his opening remarks in New Delhi as he hosted the minister.
“Closer cooperation between us contributes to your national development, as well as regional stability and resilience,” he said.
