Afghan FM Muttaqi’s Agra visit cancelled; Taliban leader calls presser again, this time inviting women journalists | Today News
Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has called off his planned visit to Agra following backlash over excluding female journalists from a press conference. The cancelled trip was meant to include a Taj Mahal visit before returning to Delhi. In response to the criticism, Muttaqi is now scheduling a new press briefing at 2 pm IST that will explicitly welcome women reporters. Indian media groups — including the Editors’ Guild and Indian Women Press Corps — strongly condemned the prior exclusion as discriminatory, insisting that diplomatic privileges can’t justify gender-based exclusion on Indian soil. India’s Ministry of External Affairs clarified it had no role in arranging the press event organized by the Afghan side. Muttaqi, the first senior Taliban official to visit India since their takeover, also visited Darul Uloom Deoband during his trip and expressed hopes for enhanced Indo-Afghan ties.
The Key points
- Muttaqi’s scheduled Agra visit has been cancelled following protests over exclusion of women journalists.
- The new press meet is slated for 2 pm IST and will include women reporters.
- No clear reason offered by Agra officials for cancellation.
- Originally, his agenda included a 90-minute visit to the Taj Mahal.
- The earlier press conference drew condemnation from media bodies for gender bias.
- The Editors’ Guild and IWPC denounced the exclusion as unacceptable.
- India’s MEA says it was not involved in organizing the initial event.
- The Afghan foreign ministry’s media head denied any restrictions on attendance.
- Muttaqi is the first high-level Taliban official to visit India since 2021.
- During his India trip, he visited Darul Uloom Deoband and expressed optimism for stronger bilateral engagement.
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