India on Saturday reacted to a controversy over the absence of women journalists from a press conference of visiting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in New Delhi.
The ministry of external affairs said that the government had no involvement in the press interaction held on Friday.
"MEA had no involvement in the press interaction held yesterday by Afghanistan's Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, in Delhi," the MEA said in a statement.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to clarify his position on controversy and described the incident as an "insult to some of India's most competent women".
The Congress general secretary said if the prime minister's recognition of women's rights isn't just convenient posturing from one election to the other, how has this "insult to some of India's most competent women been allowed in our country".
The press conference addressed by Muttaqi on Friday saw participation restricted to a handful of reporters, while women journalists were conspicuous by their absence.
Muttaqi held the interaction at the Afghan embassy in New Delhi, hours after holding wide-ranging talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
It is learnt that the decision on inviting journalists to the media interaction was taken by Taliban officials accompanying the foreign minister.
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