Priyanka Gandhi Seeks Clarification After Taliban Foreign Minister Bars Women Journalists in Delhi

New Delhi, Oct 2025 Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday sought clarification from the Central government following Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s press conference in Delhi, where women journalists were barred from attending.

Speaking out on social media platform X, Gandhi Vadra questioned the government’s commitment to women’s empowerment, asking how such an affront could occur on Indian soil. She said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi, please clarify your position on the removal of female journalists from the press conference of the representative of the Taliban during 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 pride?”

Amir Khan Muttaqi, a senior Taliban leader, has overseen policies in Afghanistan that severely restrict women’s rights, including bans on employment and education. India has historically maintained a cautious diplomatic stance toward the Taliban due to these human rights concerns and the potential risk of Afghanistan becoming a haven for terror groups.

Earlier in the day, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra also condemned the Centre for providing diplomatic courtesies to the Taliban delegation. “The Indian foreign ministry has laid out the red carpet for this man, this Taliban foreign minister, who had the audacity to demand women be removed from a room during his press conference. And we are providing this delegation official status and protocol,” Moitra said.

She called the incident a national shame, accusing the government of using taxpayers’ money to facilitate an exercise that dishonoured Indian women. “Women journalists have been asked to leave the room. What is going on? You talk about ‘Beti Bachao’, about women in India, and yet you provide official protocol for a government delegation that actively dishonours our values by asking women to be removed,” she added.

The backlash from opposition leaders highlights growing criticism of the Indian government’s engagement with the Taliban, particularly in relation to women’s rights and ethical considerations in foreign diplomacy. The incident has sparked widespread debate on India’s stance toward the Taliban and its implications for gender equality.