'No Involvement': MEA Issues Clarification Over Exclusion Of Women Journalists From Afghan FM Amir Khan Muttaqi's Press Briefing

New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Saturday reacted to the controversy that erupted after the exclusion of women journalists from the press conference of Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in New Delhi on Friday. The MEA clarified that it had " no involvement" in Muttaqi’s press briefing. The incident sparked outrage in India.

"MEA had no involvement in the press interaction held yesterday by the Afghan FM in Delhi," the ministry said in a statement. The invitations for the press briefing were sent by Afghanistan's Consul General in Mumbai, the MEA said, as reported by NDTV. Notably, during Muttaqi’s visit, the officials of Afghanistan’s consulate general have been in New Delhi.

The press briefing was organised at the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi. It drew widespread criticism after women journalists claimed they were denied entry. After the official meeting between MEA S Jaishankar and Muttaqi no joint press briefing was held. It was the Afghan side that conducted a separate media interaction at its embassy premises. Only selected male journalists and officials of the Afghan embassy attended the presser.

Under the "Taliban 2.0" regime that took power in August 2021, the condition of Afghan women deteriorated. The Taliban regime has put systematic restrictions on women in the country. In July this year, the United Nations expressed concern over the “systematic” oppression of women in Afghanistan and urged the Taliban to change its policies.

After the incident, Opposition leaders are slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government.

In a post on X, Wayanad MP said, "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."

Congress’s P Chidambaram expressed shock and disappointment over the exclusion of women journalists from the press briefing.

“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)," he said in a post on X.

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, in a video message, called the incident “horrendous”.