Afghan FM defends exclusion of women journalists during presser in Delhi, calls it 'technical issue'

“Regarding the press conference, it was organised on short notice. There was a short list of journalists who were invited. It was more of a technical issue, nothing else. Our colleagues had decided to send invitations to a specific list of journalists; there were no other intentions behind that,” Muttaqi said at a second press briefing held two days after the first event at the Afghanistan Embassy triggered a political storm.

Defending his government’s stance on women’s education, the visiting minister said, “We have 10 million students in schools and institutes, including over 2.8 million women and girls. In madrasas, education continues up to graduation. Some limits exist, but we’ve never declared women’s education religiously haram; it’s only postponed until further order.”

The controversy erupted on Friday after NDTV reported that no female journalists were present at Muttaqi’s initial press conference.

The Opposition termed the move “unacceptable” and “an insult to women.”

The event came hours after Muttaqi held wide-ranging talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. NDTV had earlier raised the issue of women journalists’ exclusion with Afghan Embassy officials and security personnel present at the venue.

Political reactions and condemnations

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi sharply criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that by allowing the “exclusion” of women journalists, he was telling every woman in India that he is “too weak to stand up for them.”

Former Union Minister P. Chidambaram expressed shock on X, saying, “The men journalists should have walked out when they found that their women colleagues were excluded.”

CPI(M) General Secretary M.A. Baby called the exclusion of women reporters “deplorable,” alleging that the Indian government “chose to accept the Taliban’s diktat.”

The Editors Guild of India (EGI) and the Indian Women Press Corps (IWPC) both condemned the incident, calling it highly discriminatory and asserting that such practices cannot be justified under the Vienna Convention on diplomatic privileges.

MEA clarification

Amid mounting criticism, sources in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) clarified that the Indian government had no role in organising the event.

The ministry said the invitations had been issued by Afghanistan’s Consul General in Mumbai, who was in Delhi for the foreign minister’s visit.

Officials further noted that the Afghan Embassy’s premises are considered sovereign Afghan territory and therefore do not fall under Indian jurisdiction.

According to reports, the decision to restrict the list of invitees was taken by Taliban officials accompanying Muttaqi.

The Taliban regime in Kabul continues to face global condemnation, including from the United Nations, for its severe restrictions on women’s rights, including bans on education, employment, and freedom of movement.