If there were ever a moment that proved how collective outrage and speaking up can create real change, this was it. The image on Monday's front pages of newspapers, showing female journalists confidently seated in the front row at the Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister’s press conference in Delhi, said more than words ever could.
Following criticism from Indian journalists, politicians, and others regarding the exclusion of women in his previous media engagement, Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi's 2nd press conference in India represented a major change. This time, women journalists were visibly present, seated alongside their male counterparts at the Afghan Embassy reclaiming their place in the front rows.
Sunday’s press conference was Afghan Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s second in 48 hours, held after backlash over the exclusion of women journalists at Friday’s event, sparking outrage over gender discrimination on Indian soil.
Political leaders and media organisations across the spectrum voiced strong criticism following the exclusion of women journalists from the Taliban minister's initial press conference in Delhi on Friday. Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi, along with Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, took to social media to express their outrage.
Meanwhile, prominent women’s media bodies such as The Editors Guild of India and the Indian Women Press Corps (IWPC) issued strong statements condemning the event, describing it as “blatant gender discrimination on Indian soil.”
Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said that by allowing the event to go ahead, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "telling every woman in India that you are too weak to stand up for them".
The press event later in the day was attended by around 16 male reporters while female journalists were turned away from the embassy gates. A source in the Taliban government had admitted women had not been invited to attend. India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it "had no involvement in the press interaction" as it was held at the Afghan embassy.
Mutaqi responded to criticism regarding the lack of female journalists at a recent press conference, stating that the issue was unintentional and attributed to 'technical reasons'. He clarified that there was no deliberate intention to exclude women, as he reacted to the Friday press event.
"With regard to the [Friday's] press conference, it was on short notice and a short list of journalists was decided, and the participation list that was presented was very specific. "It was more a technical issue... Our colleagues had decided to send an invitation to a specific list of journalists and there was no other intention apart from this," he added.
Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Sunday addressed a press conference in Delhi where both women & men journalists were present. This came after a massive discontent from the opposition and media bodies over the "exclusion" of female journalists from Muttaqi's presser at the Afghanistan embassy in New Delhi on Friday.
"Regarding the press conference, it was due to the short notice. The participation list was prepared with specific journalists, and it was neither a technical issue nor any deliberate exclusion. It was not intended," he said.