Afghan FM's exclusion of women journalist causes controversy

Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s recent press interaction in New Delhi has sparked outrage after women journalists were reportedly excluded from the event. The press meet, held at the Afghan Embassy following Muttaqi’s talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, invited only select male journalists, with reports suggesting that the Taliban delegation refused to include women despite India’s suggestion.

The move has drawn widespread condemnation across political and media circles in India. Opposition leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi, criticized the government for allowing gender discrimination on Indian soil, calling it a “shameful silence” that contradicts India’s commitment to women’s empowerment. The Ministry of External Affairs clarified that it had no role in organizing the press conference, saying it was entirely managed by the Afghan side.

However, this explanation has done little to calm public anger. The government’s silence amounts to tacit approval of the Taliban’s discriminatory policies. Allowing such practices in India undermines the nation’s democratic values and sends a troubling signal to the world.

The Taliban’s long record of excluding women from public life, banning their education, employment, and now their participation in journalism, makes this incident even more disturbing. That such gender bias could unfold in New Delhi, a capital that often speaks of “Nari Shakti,” is deeply ironic.

Remaining silent in the face of such discrimination is not diplomacy, it is complicity. India must make it clear that while it can engage with any regime for the sake of dialogue, it will never compromise on fundamental principles of equality and press freedom.