The Taliban has responded to the controversy over women journalists being excluded from the press conference of Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, saying it had no role in the matter. Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shahi said, “We did not stop any female journalist from coming to the press conference. The Taliban had no hand behind it. A lot is being said about us, but there’s no truth in those claims.”
He added that Afghanistan does not impose any restrictions on women journalists. “We have women working in media institutions too. Muttaqi himself regularly meets female reporters and answers their questions. So why would we have any objection to women journalists in India?” he said.
The controversy began after reports suggested that women journalists were not allowed to attend the press conference during Muttaqi’s visit to India. The Indian government has already clarified that it had no objection to their presence at the event.
Opposition parties, however, have sharply criticized the incident, calling it an insult to Indian women. They demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi explain his government’s position. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, “The exclusion of women journalists exposes the hollowness of Prime Minister Modi’s slogans on women empowerment.”
