Owaisi slams Afghan presser row, says ‘Indian girls can’t wear hijab’; Taslima Nasrin hits back: ‘They don’t see women as human’

Owaisi Cites India’s Hijab Row After Afghan Presser Ban; Taslima Nasreen Slams Taliban for Misogyny

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has said that “girls in India are not allowed to wear the hijab” when asked about the controversy over female journalists being barred from attending a press conference by Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister at the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi.

“Here in India, girls aren’t allowed to wear the hijab — you’re not talking about that,” Owaisi told reporters while heading to his car. He also urged the Indian government to establish “full-fledged diplomatic relations” with Kabul, arguing that “merely engaging in talks” was not sufficient.

Speaking to ANI, Owaisi recalled his 2016 statement in Parliament warning that “the Taliban would return” and urging India to “engage with them.” He noted that his remarks were criticised at the time but added, “Today, their foreign minister is in India.”

Taslima Nasreen: ‘They Don’t Consider Women Human’

Author Taslima Nasreen also reacted sharply to the incident, condemning the Taliban’s treatment of women after female journalists were prevented from covering the Afghan minister’s press briefing in Delhi.

“The Afghan Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, has come to India and held a press conference. However, he did not allow any female journalists to attend,” Nasreen wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Explaining her stance, she said, “In Islam as practised by the Taliban, women are expected only to stay at home, bear children, and serve their husbands. These misogynistic men do not want to see women outside the home — not in schools, not at workplaces.”

Nasreen also criticised male journalists who continued attending the event despite their female colleagues being barred. “If the male journalists had any conscience, they would have walked out of the press conference,” she wrote, adding, “A state built on vile misogyny is a barbaric state — and no civilised nation should recognise it.”

Afghan Minister’s Visit to India

Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is currently on a six-day visit to India — the first by a senior Taliban leader since the group seized power in 2021.

During his meeting with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar at Hyderabad House, the two sides discussed counterterrorism cooperation. Jaishankar reiterated India’s commitment to “combating terrorism in all its forms” and appreciated Afghanistan’s expression of solidarity after the Pahalgam terror attack. He also announced that India would upgrade its “technical mission” in Kabul to a fully operational embassy — nearly four years after it was shut down following the Taliban takeover.

On Saturday, Muttaqi visited the Darul Uloom Deoband seminary in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district, where he attended a Hadith study session led by Maulana Nomani. He was conferred the Hadith Sanad (certificate of authority), granting him the title “Qasmi,” signifying his academic association with the institution.

Muttaqi is scheduled to visit the Taj Mahal in Agra on Sunday before concluding his visit on October 16.