Following criticism over restricting female journalists during Afghanistan’s diplomatic visit, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Sunday issued a clarification over the row. The Afghanistan Foreign Minister said that not inviting women to a press conference held in New Delhi was not intentional but a result of a “technical issue”, news agency ANI reported.
The decision received severe backlash from India media as well as politicians, prompting Muttaqi to clarify that the decision was not based on gender discrimination.
The Afghani Foreign Minister said, “With regard to the press conference, it was on short notice, and a short list of journalists was decided,” Muttaqi said. “The participation list that was presented was very specific. It was more a technical issue… Our colleagues had decided to send an invitation to a specific list of journalists, and there was no other intention apart from this.”
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
Following the scenario that caused huge criticism, Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi called another press interaction on Sunday, this time inviting women journalists to attend, ANI reported.
Earlier this week, several women journalists and media outlets had expressed outrage after they were not invited to attend the Afghan Foreign Minister`s press briefing in Delhi following bilateral talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
However, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) clarified that it had no involvement in the press interaction held by Muttaqi on Friday, which later sparked controversy after reports emerged that women journalists were allegedly barred from attending.
“MEA had no involvement in the press interaction held yesterday by the Afghan FM in Delhi,” a statement from the ministry read.
During Friday`s press conference, Muttaqi addressed regional issues, including India-Afghanistan relations, humanitarian assistance, trade routes, and security cooperation. Only selected male journalists and officials of the Afghan embassy attended the presser.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday, slammed the Narendra Modi Government and demanded that the Prime Minister himself clarify his position on the incident. She called the incident “an insult to India`s women journalists”.
In a post on social media platform X, Vadra wrote, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi 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 the other, then how has this insult to some of India`s most competent women been allowed in our country, a country whose women are its backbone and its pride?”
(With inputs from ANI)