“Muttaqi’s Delhi Press Meet Sparks Outrage: Taliban Faces Global Backlash Over Women’s Exclusion”

A Controversy Unfolds in Delhi

Afghan FM Amir Khan Muttaqi’s press conference in New Delhi on October 13, 2025, was anticipated to be the day's diplomatic highlight. However, it turned out that the event had a controversy instead, as the incident of female journalists being denied participation unfolded, which led to sharp rebukes by media and rights groups.

The Incident that Set Off Anger

Reports have emerged of women journalists being stopped from attending and asking questions at the press meet.. The action was criticized by most as discrimination based on sex, which in turn provoked protests against the Taliban both online and offline, and they were called upon to keep their promises of women's rights and press freedom in Afghanistan.

India Distances Itself

After the criticism, the Ministry of External Affairs in India made it pretty clear that it was not involved in the organizing of the press event. The statement was interpreted as an attempt to calm down the unrest, where Indian officials highlighted that the Taliban delegation was in charge of the invitation list.

Taliban’s Attempt at Damage Control

Embracing the criticism, Minister Muttaqi staged another press interaction, which women journalists attended without hindrance. Admittedly, this act was portrayed as a peace offering; however, numerous critics interpreted it as damage control only, arguing that the first exclusion signaled to the audience that the Taliban had not learned from the past.

Global Reaction and Rights Concerns

The incident has been heavily debated by the imposition of the strictest gender segregation by the Taliban regime. The practice of excluding women from interaction with the public resonates with the limited access to schooling, work, and political activities that women experience under the Taliban, their argument goes.

Diplomacy Amid Discontent

Muttaqi’s trip to India could have been the occasion to bring about better India–Afghanistan relations, with talks concentrated on the region’s safety and the delivery of aid to the needy there. Besides, the dispute overwhelmed much of the talk, and put them in a fragile position.

Looking Ahead

With the anger still fresh, the question that remains is how honest the Taliban are about including women and being open with the media. Are the upcoming press events really part of the new policy, or is it a stand made merely to quiet the world’s condemnation?