New Delhi
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Saturday clarified that it had no role in the press conference held by Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi at the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi on Friday. The event drew sharp criticism after several women journalists alleged they were denied entry.
In an official statement, the MEA said, “MEA had no involvement in the press interaction held yesterday by the Afghan FM in Delhi.” The press meet followed bilateral talks between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Muttaqi and was attended only by select male journalists and Afghan officials.
Political reactions poured in swiftly. Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of failing to uphold women’s rights, calling the exclusion an insult to India’s women journalists. Former minister P. Chidambaram said male reporters should have walked out in solidarity, while his son Karti Chidambaram termed the move “ridiculous.” TMC MP Mahua Moitra called it “shameful.”
Muttaqi’s visit, which began on October 9 and continues until October 16, marks the first high-level Afghan delegation to India since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
