Taliban Excludes Women Journalists: Taslima Nasreen Condemns "Dehumanizing" Treatment During Afghan Minister's India Visit

Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen has strongly condemned Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi for excluding women journalists from his press conference in Delhi.

Nasreen, who fled Bangladesh in 1994, asserted that the Taliban fundamentally "do not consider women to be human," explaining their persistent denial of women's human rights.

She also directed criticism toward male journalists who attended the conference, suggesting that those with conscience should have walked out in protest of this discriminatory practice.

"The Afghan Foreign Minister held a press conference in India but prohibited female journalists from attending," Nasreen stated on her X account. "In the Taliban's interpretation of Islam, women are confined to domestic roles—staying home, bearing children, and serving family members."

The author further elaborated: "These misogynistic leaders refuse to acknowledge women in public spaces—whether in educational institutions or workplaces. Their denial of human rights to women stems from their failure to recognize women's humanity. Any state founded on such extreme misogyny is barbaric and undeserving of recognition by civilized nations."

Following Nasreen's comments, India's Ministry of External Affairs clarified that it had no involvement in organizing the press interaction at the Afghanistan Embassy, which occurred after bilateral discussions between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Muttaqi.

While the Afghan minister addressed regional matters including bilateral relations, humanitarian assistance, trade, and security cooperation during the press conference, observers noted the conspicuous absence of female journalists.

Since reclaiming power in August 2021, the Taliban regime has implemented what the United Nations describes as the world's most severe women's rights crisis. Rather than adopting more moderate policies as initially suggested, they have systematically expanded restrictions on women's freedoms, effectively erasing female presence from public life.

The exclusion of women journalists from the press conference triggered nationwide political backlash in India. Congress leader P Chidambaram expressed shock at the situation, stating on X: "I am disappointed that women journalists were excluded from Mr. Muttaqi's press conference. In my view, male journalists should have demonstrated solidarity by walking out when they discovered their female colleagues were not permitted."

Muttaqi's visit, scheduled until October 16, represents the first high-level delegation from Afghanistan to India since the Taliban's return to power in 2021.