The Taliban is reportedly planning to convert state television stations into radio outlets following its ban on broadcasting images of living beings, according to a report by Afghanistan International.
Sources said that staff from the national television network in Kabul and various provinces will likely be reassigned to work at the new radio stations, aimed at promoting the group’s policies and disseminating its religious views.
“Radio Bayan-e Shomal” will be renamed “Radio Hurriyat,” with its broadcasts managed by the Taliban’s intelligence services. There will also be dedicated radio stations for the Ministry of Interior, and for the military.
Taliban also intends to shut Afghanistan’s national television and replace it with “Radio Shariat,” which was a key media outlet during the Taliban’s first regime under Mullah Omar.
Yusuf Ahmadi, the head of national television under Taliban control, stated in a meeting with media managers that the decision to stop television broadcasts was made by the Taliban leadership. The Taliban has already halted national television transmissions in Kandahar and Takhar.
This move follows a recent statement by the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue, which indicated that the group is gradually enforcing a law banning the broadcast of images of living beings.
This story first appeared on RadioInfo.asia