Taliban Embassy in Delhi Bars Female Journalists from Press Conference, Sparks Outrage
Security personnel at the Taliban Embassy in New Delhi denied female journalists entry to a press conference held by Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s Foreign Minister, on Friday. This move has sparked widespread anger among journalists and media activists in India.
According to reports from the news network NDTV, female journalists from several major Indian media outlets, including India Today and Times Now, had arrived at the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi to cover the press conference of Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s Foreign Minister. However, embassy security personnel prevented them from entering.
One of the female journalists present at the scene told NDTV, “We had official invitations and were fully dressed in Islamic attire, but the guards said they had orders not to allow any women inside.” Attempts by the journalists to speak with embassy officials or Taliban representatives were unsuccessful, and the guards kept the gates closed without further explanation.
Prominent Indian journalists have called on the government to respond to such behavior on its own soil. A veteran journalist at CNN-News18 wrote in a note: “When the Taliban excludes women from a press conference in the heart of New Delhi, the silence of the Indian government is concerning.”
NDTV, citing analysts in New Delhi, reported that this incident reflects the Taliban’s official policy toward women, which has now extended to their diplomatic behavior.
