Taliban’s Muttaqi faces backlash over gender exclusion at Delhi press conference

A photo that ran in Indian newspapers on Monday captured a powerful moment: female journalists taking front-row seats at a press conference by Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Delhi. This followed a controversy over women being excluded from his earlier press event, which led to widespread criticism.

Muttaqi explained the exclusion as an unintentional mistake due to a short notice and technical issues with the invitation list. However, the Taliban’s treatment of women in Afghanistan has been widely condemned as gender apartheid by the UN, with restrictions on education, work, and mobility.

During his visit, which aimed to strengthen ties between India and the Taliban, Muttaqi met with India’s Foreign Minister and discussed a range of issues, including women’s rights. After the backlash, Muttaqi’s team issued fresh invitations for a second press event, where he addressed questions about the treatment of Afghan women. Although his responses about women’s rights were criticized, the fact that he answered such questions marked a small step forward.