Several female journalists attended a second press conference held by Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Sunday. The presser comes after Afghan FM came under severe attack after women journalists were 'excluded' from its previous conference held in Delhi on Friday.
During Sunday's press conference, the Afghan foreign minister faced a barrage of questions about the absence of female journalists at his previous press conference.
The Afghan FM is on a six-day visit to India.
What happened at the press conference?
Several opposition leaders called the absence of female journalists at the press conference “unacceptable” and an “insult to women.” A number of press outlets also criticized the Afghan foreign minister.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it was not involved in the press interaction.
What did FM Muttaqi say?
Speaking about the previous absence of female journalists, Prime Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said this was 'unintentional'.
“As for the press conference, it was organized at short notice. A small list of journalists was drawn up. It was more of a technical matter,” he said.
Muttaqi said there was no intention to exclude female journalists.
“Our colleagues had decided to send invitations to specific journalists and there was no other intention,” he said.
The row over the absence of female journalists at Muttaqi's first press conference in Delhi comes amid repeated criticism from the United Nations over the Taliban's restrictions on women's lives in Afghanistan.
Women in Afghanistan
Under the “Taliban 2.0” regime that took control in August 2021, Afghan women and girls are facing what the UN calls the world's worst women's rights crisis.
According to the United Nations, the De facto Authorities (DFA) have issued dozens of directives that deprive women and girls of their rights – from education and employment to their freedom of movement and public decision-making. Girls are excluded from secondary school.
Women are also excluded from universities, most jobs and public spaces such as parks, gyms and sports clubs.
The Taliban minister's visit, which began on October 9 and will last until October 16, marks the first high-level delegation from Kabul to India since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021.
