New Delhi: Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s first visit to India is underway. After meeting Jaishankar, Muttaqi spoke about strengthening India-Afghanistan relations. Muttaqi then spoke directly with journalists at the Afghanistan Embassy, but the news of not inviting women journalists during the visit also made headlines. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also raised questions about Amir’s visit, asking whether the central government would pressure the Taliban to respect women’s rights in Afghanistan.
Speaking to reporters, Chaturvedi said, “The Foreign Minister of Afghanistan is visiting India. India and Afghanistan have a long-standing relationship, based primarily on people-to-people ties. India has always supported its citizens. However, the government currently ruling Afghanistan is the Taliban. These are the same people who hijacked our flight IC 814 with the support of Pakistan… These are the Taliban who do not allow women to receive an education… So will our government pressure them to respect women’s rights in accordance with democratic and constitutional values?”
Earlier, while speaking to the media while sitting in front of the image of the Bamiyan Buddhas, Muttaqi also mentioned the progress in relations between India and Afghanistan in the last four years. However, no female journalist was invited to Muttaqi’s press conference. Muttaqi also expressed his commitment to sending Afghan ambassadors to India soon. Muttaqi said that Kabul will soon send its diplomats to New Delhi. He said, “The Foreign Minister (S. Jaishankar) has said that you can send diplomats to New Delhi right now. When we go back, we will select people and send them. We will send diplomats now and gradually the contacts will increase.”
Until now, Afghan missions in India have been staffed largely by officials appointed by the previous Ashraf Ghani government. Asked whether the Indian government would hand over the Afghan embassy complex in New Delhi to the Taliban regime, the Taliban foreign minister said, “Afghanistan has it; it’s ours.”
