Overview

• Photos and attendee accounts show an all‑male press interaction at the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi, with invitations handled by Taliban officials.
• The Ministry of External Affairs said it had no involvement in the event, and there was no joint briefing after S. Jaishankar’s meeting with Amir Khan Muttaqi.
• Opposition leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, P. Chidambaram and Mahua Moitra, condemned the exclusion and pressed the government for a public explanation.
• During the bilateral talks, India announced it will upgrade its Kabul technical mission to a full embassy, signaling a shift in engagement with the Taliban administration.
• An Afghan Taliban spokesperson later described the absence of female reporters as unintentional, saying Muttaqi engages with women journalists in Kabul, as reported by News18 and Mint.