New Delhi, India – October 11, 2025: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Saturday issued a clarification asserting that it had “no role or involvement” in the press interaction held on Friday in New Delhi, where Afghanistan’s Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi addressed reporters.
The statement followed strong criticism from sections of the opposition and several female journalists, who questioned the exclusion of women reporters from the event. According to reports from NDTV, several women journalists attempted to attend the briefing but were denied entry by security personnel at the Afghan Embassy.
Prominent journalist Geeta Mohan of India Today expressed her outrage on social media, stating, “Women journalists were not invited to the press conference of Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. Unacceptable.”
Similarly, journalist Nayanima Basu condemned the move, writing, “Right under the Indian government’s nose, in the heart of the capital city, the Afghan Foreign Minister holds a press conference intentionally excluding any female journalists. How can this be allowed? Who approved such an outrageous disregard for representation?”
The controversy erupted just a day after India announced that it would reopen its embassy in Kabul, signaling an upgrade in ties with the Taliban administration—a government largely isolated internationally due to its severe restrictions on women’s rights. The Taliban, meanwhile, confirmed plans to send diplomats to New Delhi as part of the renewed engagement.
Globally, the Taliban regime has been striving to normalize relations, having already held high-level talks with several nations and established limited diplomatic presence in countries including China and the United Arab Emirates. In July, Russia became the first country to officially recognize the Taliban government.
However, the exclusion of women journalists from the Delhi event drew sharp political backlash. Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed criticized the incident, writing, “Who are they to dictate terms to our nation, that too, on our own soil, and impose their discriminatory agenda against women?”
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra went a step further, calling for solidarity from male journalists and condemning the government’s decision to host the Taliban representative under full protocol. On X (formerly Twitter), she wrote,
“How dare our government allow Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Muttaqi to exclude women journalists and hold a ‘male-only’ news conference on Indian soil with full protocol? How dare @DrSJaishankar agree to this? And why did our emasculated, spineless male journos remain in the room?”
The MEA, distancing itself from the controversy, emphasized that the event was organized independently by the Afghan Embassy and not under the purview of the Indian government.
The incident has reignited debate over India’s diplomatic engagement with the Taliban and the ethical considerations of extending official courtesies to a regime internationally criticized for its treatment of women.
.png)
The opinions posted here do not belong to 🔰www.indiansdaily.com. The author is solely responsible for the opinions.
As per the IT policy of the Central Government, insults against an individual, community, religion or country, defamatory and inflammatory remarks, obscene and vulgar language are punishable offenses. Legal action will be taken for such expressions of opinion.