EGI condemns women journalists’ exclusion from Afghan minister’s new conference

New Delhi, Oct 11: The Editors Guild of India (EGI) has condemned the exclusion of women journalists from the press conference held by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi at the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi on Friday.

The event was organised during Mr. Muttaqi’s ongoing visit to India to discuss diplomatic and bilateral issues. In a statement issued on Saturday, the Guild said that while diplomatic premises may be protected under the Vienna Convention, “that cannot justify blatant gender discrimination in press access on Indian soil.” The Guild expressed concern that such exclusion was allowed to take place without objection, stating, “Whether or not the MEA coordinated the event, it is deeply troubling that such a discriminatory exclusion was allowed to proceed without objection.”

It also criticised the lack of response from within the media community, saying, “The absence of solidarity in pointing this discriminatory practice at the event signals a troubling complacency in our community.”