At a meeting in Kabul to assess opportunities and challenges of provincial radio stations, representatives of Afghanistan’s media houses sought government help as some media outlets have been shut down due to lack of financial resources.
According to a report by Pajhwok Afghan news, one of the participants at the event, Zahidullah Angar, who heads a private radio station in Khost province, said that stations in many provinces were facing financial difficulties and there was nobody to defend the rights of the media. He also suggested forming a joint committee of government and media representatives to address media problems.
He said: “The new government has not yet said if the old media law has been repealed, nor has it said that it should be broadcast accordingly.”
Ahmad Shah, head of a local station in Uruzgan, said stations in some provinces had stopped broadcasting because they could not pay their employees and called on the government to provide financial assiatence.
Maulvi Abdul Wahed, head of strategic relations at the Ministry of Interior, assured security of the media and journalists and demanded that the broadcasts be conducted in accordance with Islamic and national values.
He also said that the media should refrain from negative propaganda and spread positive news about the country to the world.
Jamal Nasir Farahmand, the minister’s liaison and public relations officer, said the government had a positive attitude towards the media. “There are problems in the media, but we will work together and solve the problems,” he said.
Representatives of the media also issued a resolution at the meeting calling on the new government to increase cooperation with the media in accessing information and provide them with credible sources of information.
The resolution also said that local authorities in some provinces are imposing illegal restrictions on the media in violation of Islamic law and Afghan law. It also said that women are half of the society and neglecting them would lead to cultural and social crisis in the society.