Overview
- U.S. Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove praised Indian women reporters for showing up and urged Washington to raise the erasure of Afghan women in any engagement with the Taliban.
- India’s Ministry of External Affairs said it had no role in the initial exclusion, while Amir Khan Muttaqi described it as a technical issue.
- Hindustan Times reported that Taliban officials traveling with Muttaqi made the final decision on participation, with Indian authorities having signaled inclusion should be broad-based and include women.
- The Editors Guild of India condemned the gender-based ban as discriminatory and said Vienna Convention protections do not justify such restrictions on Indian soil.
- Context from press freedom groups notes Taliban edicts since 2021 have severely curtailed women’s rights, with Reporters Without Borders citing a collapse in the number of women journalists in Afghanistan.