Overview

• Women journalists were blocked from entering the Afghan Embassy press event in New Delhi, with eyewitness accounts and photos showing security and Delhi Police turning them away.
• The Ministry of External Affairs said it had no involvement in the presser, noted there was no joint briefing after S. Jaishankar’s talks with Amir Khan Muttaqi, and emphasized the Afghan side organized the media interaction.
• People familiar with the arrangements said Taliban officials decided the invite list, despite Indian suggestions to include women reporters.
• An Afghan Taliban spokesperson later called the absence of female journalists unintentional and said Amir Khan Muttaqi regularly speaks with women reporters in Kabul.
• During the visit, India announced it will upgrade its Kabul mission to an embassy and roll out new medical and development projects, as opposition leaders demanded government clarification over the Delhi event’s exclusions.