No woman journalist at Taliban minister Muttaqi’s media interaction in Delhi

Women journalists were notably absent from a press conference addressed by Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi at the Afghan embassy in New Delhi on Friday, with attendance restricted to fewer than 20 reporters.

According to people familiar with the matter, the final decision on who could attend was made by Taliban officials accompanying Muttaqi. Indian authorities, they said, had suggested that the event should include broad-based participation — including women journalists — but the visiting delegation chose otherwise.

Such exclusion of women journalists is rare in New Delhi, where foreign governments typically allow open access to accredited media. It remains unclear whether the Taliban formally informed Indian officials of its decision to exclude women from the event.

Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban has rolled back many rights and freedoms for Afghan women and girls, restricting education, employment, and public life. The UN has repeatedly said Afghan women face systematic discrimination and are often barred from accessing basic services without a male guardian.

Muttaqi, the first senior Taliban official to visit India since the group seized Kabul, appeared calm during the interaction, responding to all questions in Urdu. The meeting took place in a conference room featuring a painting of the Bamiyan Buddhas — destroyed in 2001 on the orders of then Taliban chief Mullah Omar.

Asked about the curbs on women’s rights, Muttaqi said Afghanistan was now more peaceful than before 2021. “Earlier, 200 to 400 people were dying every day. In these four years, there have been no such losses. Everyone has their rights. Those who are engaging in propaganda are making a mistake. Every country has its own laws and customs,” he said.

He further claimed that the unity and stability in Afghanistan reflected popular satisfaction with the current system. “Even the Americans could not bring peace before. Now there is peace and a united government. There are no quarrels, no incidents. It means people are happy with the system,” he said.

The arrangements for the press conference underscored the delicacy of India’s current engagement with the Taliban. No national flags were displayed in the backdrop. Just before Muttaqi began speaking, an aide placed a small Taliban flag before him on the table. Notably, there were no flags visible earlier when Muttaqi met external affairs minister S Jaishankar at Hyderabad House.