Controversy Erupts as Women Journalists Barred from Afghan Foreign Minister's Press Conference in Delhi

The exclusion of women journalists from Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi's press conference in New Delhi has sparked a major controversy. The Ministry of External Affairs clarified it had no involvement in the event, which followed bilateral talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

The incident, reported after the press conference held at the Afghanistan Embassy in Delhi, drew ire from media and political entities alike. Criticism was further fueled as only selected male journalists attended the briefing, where regional matters and diplomatic issues were discussed.

Political leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and P Chidambaram, have expressed outrage, demanding accountability. They criticized the exclusion as an insult to India's women journalists, questioning the MEA's conduct in the situation. The meeting marked the first high-level visit since the Taliban's rise to power, coinciding with India's strategic expansion of its mission in Kabul.

(With inputs from agencies.)