New Delhi, Oct 11: Former Union Home Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram expressed deep shock and disapproval over the exclusion of women journalists from the press conference of Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in New Delhi.
Chidambaram said male journalists present at the event should have walked out in solidarity with their female colleagues who were barred from attending.
“I am shocked that women journalists were excluded from the press conference addressed by Mr. Amir Khan Muttaqi of Afghanistan. In my personal view, the men journalists should have walked out when they found that their women colleagues were excluded (or not invited),” Chidambaram posted on X.
The controversy erupted after reports emerged that no women reporters were allowed at the Taliban minister’s press conference held at the Afghanistan Embassy in New Delhi.
Congress MP Karti P Chidambaram also criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government, calling the move “outrageous” and “regressive.” He expressed disappointment over the conduct of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
“I understand the geopolitical compulsions that force us to engage with the Taliban, but to accede to their discriminatory and primitive mores is outright ridiculous. It’s very disappointing to note the conduct of the MEA and S Jaishankar in excluding women journalists from the press briefing of the Taliban Minister,” he said.
This marks the first visit by a high-level Taliban delegation to India since the group took control of Afghanistan in August 2021. Muttaqi’s week-long visit, from October 9 to 16, includes multiple diplomatic engagements and discussions aimed at strengthening India-Afghanistan cooperation.
During his meeting with EAM S Jaishankar, both sides discussed developmental projects and healthcare collaboration. India announced several new initiatives for Afghanistan, including a Thalassemia Centre and diagnostic facilities in Kabul, along with a 30-bed hospital in Bagrami district and five maternity clinics across Paktika, Khost, and Paktia provinces.
The exclusion of women journalists, however, has sparked widespread criticism from political leaders and media professionals, raising concerns over India’s handling of engagements with the Taliban amid its controversial gender policies.