‘Technical Error’: Afghan Foreign Minister On Excluding Women To Earlier Press Conference

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New Delhi: Visiting Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Sunday said that not inviting women to a press conference held in New Delhi was not intentional but a result of a “technical issue.” Responding to growing backlash from Indian media and politicians, Muttaqi clarified that the decision was not based on gender discrimination. 

“With regards to the press conference, it was on short notice, and a short list of journalists was decided,” Muttaqi said. “The participation list that was presented was very specific. It was more of a technical issue… Our colleagues had decided to send an invitation to a specific list of journalists, and there was no other intention apart from this.” Muttaqi called another press interaction today, and this time invited women journalists to attend.

Earlier this week, several women journalists and media outlets had expressed outrage after they were not invited to attend the Foreign Minister’s press briefing in Delhi after bilateral talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. On Saturday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) clarified that it had no involvement in the press interaction held by Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Muttaqi in New Delhi on Friday, which later sparked controversy after reports emerged that women journalists were allegedly barred from attending.

“MEA had no involvement in the press interaction held yesterday by the Afghan FM in Delhi,” the ministry said in a statement. The press conference was organised at the Afghanistan Embassy in New Delhi following bilateral talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Muttaqi, which drew widespread criticism after women journalists claimed they were denied entry. 

During the press conference, Muttaqi addressed regional issues, including India-Afghanistan relations, humanitarian assistance, trade routes, and security cooperation. Only selected male journalists and officials of the Afghan embassy attended the presser. The exclusion of women journalists sparked political outrage nationwide. 

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi clarify his position on the incident, calling it “an insult to India’s women journalists. “In a post on X, she 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?”