Taliban FM Muttaqi’s Delhi visit sparks row after women barred from press conference

Muttaqi, who arrived in India this week on his first visit since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021, met External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday. The two discussed India’s development assistance to Afghanistan, trade, and regional stability.

However, his subsequent media interaction on Friday drew criticism after women reporters were barred from attending, NDTV reported.

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra condemned the move, saying on X (formerly Twitter): “The government has dishonoured every single Indian woman by allowing the Taliban minister to exclude women journalists from the presser. Shameful bunch of spineless hypocrites.”

Senior Congress leader and former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram also expressed shock. “I am shocked that women journalists were excluded from the press conference addressed by Mr Amir Khan Muttaqi of Afghanistan,” he wrote on X, adding that male journalists should have walked out in protest.

Jaishankar, after meeting Muttaqi, said the visit marked “an important step in advancing our ties and affirming the enduring India-Afghanistan friendship.” He announced that India would upgrade its Technical Mission in Kabul to the status of an embassy — signalling a cautious normalization of ties, though New Delhi has not formally recognized the Taliban regime.

During his interactions in India, Muttaqi claimed that terror outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) no longer operate from Afghan soil, asserting that the Taliban has eliminated all terrorist elements.

“Not a single one of them is in Afghanistan. Not an inch of land is controlled by them,” he said.

Sending a veiled message to Pakistan, Muttaqi added, “Let other countries also act against such terror groups as Afghanistan did, for peace.”

He also thanked India for its humanitarian aid after the recent earthquake in Afghanistan, calling New Delhi “a close friend,” and said Kabul wanted relations based on “mutual respect and trade.”

Muttaqi further proposed a trilateral dialogue between India, Afghanistan, and the United States to enhance regional cooperation and trade.

The visit comes amid escalating tensions between Kabul and Islamabad following Pakistan’s deportation of Afghan refugees and cross-border security concerns.