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New Delhi, Oct 11 (IANS) A day after Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaki on Friday held a restrictive press conference at the Afghan Embassy premises in New Delhi where no women journalists were allowed, the Editors Guild of India on Saturday strongly condemned the exclusion of women journalists from the press conference.
“The purpose of the conference was to address diplomatic and bilateral relations during Mr Muttaqi’s visit to India. Although diplomatic premises may claim protection under the Vienna Convention, this cannot justify blatant gender discrimination in press access on Indian soil, the media body said in its press note.
The press conference organized by FM Muttaqi was held in a restrictive manner with only a handful of journalists invited, excluding any female journalist, which has now turned into a major diplomatic embarrassment for both the Taliban and the Foreign Ministry.
EGI said, “Whether the State Department coordinated this event or not, it is extremely disturbing that such a discriminatory boycott was allowed to proceed without objection. The lack of solidarity in pointing out this discriminatory behavior at the event indicates a disturbing complacency in our community.”
Notably, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a clarification on Saturday said that the invitation for the press conference was extended to select journalists of the Consul General of Afghanistan in Mumbai, who was posted in Delhi for the visit of the Afghan minister.
The Editors Guild of India has urged the Government of India to publicly affirm that press access to diplomatic events held in India must respect gender equality.
“We also call on our journalist colleagues and media houses to reflect on this omission and adopt a zero-tolerance stance against the discriminatory exclusion of anyone at a press event. A free and inclusive press must protect representation, not enable exclusion.”
As IANS reported on Friday evening, Taliban official Ikramuddin Kamil, who has been in charge of Afghanistan’s Mumbai consulate since last year, personally reached out to these selected journalists via phone call and extended them an informal invitation.
–IANS
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