(MENAFN- Live Mint) Several women journalists attended a second press conference held by Taliban's Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Sunday. The presser comes after the Afghan FM came under severe attack after women journalists were 'excluded' from the previous conference which was held in Delhi on Friday.

During Sunday's press conference, the Afghan foreign minister faced a flurry of questions over the absence of women journalists at his previous press briefing.

The Afghan FM is on a six-day visit to India.

What happened at the press conference?

Several opposition leaders described the absence of women journalists at the press conference as "unacceptable" and an "insult to women". A number of press bodies also criticised the Afghan foreign minister.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it had no involvement in the press interaction.

What did FM Muttaqi say?

Speaking about the previous absence of women journalists, FM Amir Khan Muttaqi said it was 'unintentional.'

"With regards to the press conference, it was organised on short notice. A small list of journalists was finalised. It was more of a technical issue," he said.

Muttaqi said there was no intention to exclude women journalists.

“Our colleagues had decided to send invitations to specific journalists and there was no other intention,” he said.

The row over the absence of women journalists at Muttaqi's first press conference in Delhi comes amid United Nations' repeated criticism of the Taliban's restrictions on women's lives in Afghanistan.

Women in Afghanistan

Under the“Taliban 2.0” regime that seized control in August 2021, Afghan women and girls face what the UN calls the most severe women's rights crisis in the world.

According to the United Nations, the de facto authorities (DFA) have issued dozens of directives stripping women and girls of their rights – from education and work to their movement and public decision-making. Girls are banned from secondary school.

Women are also barred from universities, most jobs, and public spaces such as parks, gyms, and sports clubs.

Also Read: Pakistan-Afghanistan Conflict LIVE: '58 Pak soldiers dead', Afghan minister Muttaqi warns 'have other options if...'

The Taliban minister's visit, which began on October 9 and will continue until October 16, marks the first high-level delegation from Kabul to India since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021.

MENAFN12102025007365015876ID1110185573