Publications
Afghanistan
Nai- Supporting Afghanistan Open Media
Media Watch Report
Afghan Journalism Freedom Report #20
March 2007
(PDF version
of Issue #20 - English)
Sediqullah Tawhidi
Media analyst
The spread of insecurity in the country presents serious challenges
to journalists and the media community in general.
On one side, the Taliban continue to threaten lives of reporters,
and, on the other side, the government authorities continue to
put pressure on them. Such actions are causing great un-ease in
the media circles of Afghanistan and raise concerns that a new
era of government censorship could be on its way in to the country.
Threats from Taliban and pressures from government on media outlets
automatically cause self-censorship resulting in poor freedom of
expression and reporting.
The Taliban continues to accuse journalists of backing the government
of Afghanistan and the governmental circles deem that journalists
and media outlets are trying to weaken them by broadcasting news
and programs critical to the government. Aside from this, what
is clear is that journalists continue to carry out their duties
and endeavor to develop and broadcast un-biased news and critical
programs in order to improve the overall organization level of
the State – not to discredit it. Without an independent media,
that is unafraid to criticize the establishment the people of Afghanistan
would not be able to access the truth, it is imperative that the
media remains independent from the state.
In this MWR, the following issues are investigated:
- Afghan Journalist, Anwar Saleh, killed in Hangu area of NWFP,
Pakistan
- Sharif Hasanyar, news coordinator of Tolo TV, detained by The
National Security Directorate
- Resignation of Najib Roshan, Director of (RTA) National Radio
and TV
- Taliban threatens reporters and those working in the media
- Release of Abdul Qudoos from jail, reporter for Radio Sulh
in Jabulseraj.
- The Indian movie “Kabul Express” banned in Afghanistan.
- Ban imposed on the Kabulpress website by Ministry of Foreign
Affairs
- Pak-Afghan Journalist Association [sec: Media Association] formed
in Kabul
- Afghanistan Press Club to be launched by Nai Supporting
Afghanistan Open Media
- The State-run TV of Khost province relaunched
- First issue of “The journalist ” published by Afghanistan
National Union of Journalists
Afghan Journalist, Anwar Saleh, killed in NWFP, Pakistan
Anwar Saleh, a reporter from Afghan Zhagh Weekly, was killed by
unidentified gunmen in Hangu area of NWFP, Pakistan.
Anwar Saleh worked with the State-run Radio of Khost province,
the BBC and most recently with Da Islam Zhagh Weekly. He was beheaded
in Hangu area of NWFP, Pakistan, by a gang of unidentified armed
men.
Dr. Habib Shah, the editor-in-chief of Afghan Zhagh , said that
Anwar Saleh was about to write religious articles and satirical
poems for the weekly newspaper. Concerning the killing of the reporter,
he told Media Watch that “one of the reasons behind the killing
of Anwar Saleh was his religious debates and arguments with Taliban
in Hangu since he had sufficient religion related knowledge and
had gone to Pakistan for further education. Anwar Saleh was also
questioning the actions of the Taliban through his satirical poetry.”
Dr. Habib Shah added: “When I talked to his family, they said
they were also sure that the Taliban are responsible for his killing
since Anwar Saleh had no enemies.”
Engineer Mirwais, editor-in-chief for Da Zwan Zhagh, in Khost
province, who used to be a colleague of Anwar Saleh, also believes
that he was killed by the Taliban.
Mr. Mirwais told Media Watch: “The Taliban have widespread operations
in the frontier areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan, it is very likely
that they killed him due to his opposition to their actions.”
Media Watch made an attempt to contact the family of Anwar Saleh
but the family had traveled to Pakistan for his funeral procession.
An important point to stress is that the Ministry of Information
and Youth was not aware of the murder of Anwar Saleh. The spokesman
of the Ministry, Mr. Hameed Nasiry Wardag, told Media Watch: “So
far, we have no information in this regard.”
Media Watch believes that the killing of Anwar Saleh demonstrates
that Afghan refugees, journalists in particular are facing real
danger in Pakistan and that the Afghan Government should officially
notify its Pakistani counterpart of its responsibilities in this
regard.
It seems that the Ministry of Culture and Youth was not notified
of Anwar Saleh’s murder. This shows a total lack of attention from
the Government of Afghanistan to the issue of freedom of speech.
According to the Constitution, the government of Afghanistan is
obliged to protect the lives of Afghan nationals. So far, the government
has failed to fulfill this obligation.
Sharif Hasanyar, news coordinator of Tolo TV, detained
for 30 hours
On 2nd of Dalwa, 1385 [Jan, 22, 2007], Mohammad Sharif Hasanyar,
a reporter and news coordinator for Tolo TV was detained by officials
of The Department# 90 The National Security Directorate. The reason
given for his detention was his relationship with Dr. Hanif, the
former spokesman of the Taliban who was recently arrested by security
forces. Hasanyar was released after spending more than 30 hours
in custody.
Concerning the detention of Mr. Hassanyar, Media Watch was told
by Mohammad Sediq Ahmadzada, head of the executive board of Tolo
TV: “the authorities of Department#90 of the National Security
Directorate came to the Tolo TV office and wanted Mr. Hassanyar
to accompany them, but the Tolo TV management requested their ID
cards and an official letter of inquiry. The officials came back
with an official inquiry letter issued by the aforementioned Department
of the National Security Directorate. They then assured Tolo TV
authorities that Mr. Hasanyar would only be questioned for half
an hour regarding a Pakistani whom, they claimed, was acquainted
to him. However, Mr. Hasanyar was held in custody for more than
30 hours and was released in the evening of 3rd of Dalwa, 1385
[Jan, 23, 2007].”
Halim Tanwir, Director of Afghanistan International Press Center
and Advisor to The Minister of Culture and Youth, told Media Watch:
“Concerning such cases, the Ministry of Culture and Youth has a
commission entitled ‘Commission on Media Violations’ which investigates
media violations and, when necessary, refers cases to justice authorities.
Such steps have not been taken in the case of Mr. Hasanyar. We
have not been contacted by the National Security Department and
are not aware of the case.”
Mohammad Sharif Hasanyar talked to Media Watch after his release
from custody He believed the reason for his detention was his telephone
contact with the former spokesperson of the Taliban and said: “Initially
the National Security authorities told me that a Pakistani admitted
having telephone contacts with him. However, after being taken
to Department#90, I was asked about the reason for my contact with
Dr. Hanif,, I told them that I was a journalist and, according
to the principles of journalism I have the right be in contact
with parties opposed to the government. Fulfilling such a duty
is in no way an indication of personal inclination towards the
Taliban and my conversation with Dr. Hanif only contained news
related to fighting.”
He added: “In reply to the inquiries made by Department#90, I
replied that media work requires establishing contacts with different
sources because news should be impartial and un-biased.”
In a news conference at Setara Hotel on 4th of Dalwa 1385 [Jan,
24, 2007], Sayyed Aqa Fazel Sangcharaki, head of The Afghanistan
National Journalists Union, condemned the action of The National
Security Department as a violation of the applicable laws of the
country. He said: “According to the Law on Mass Media, the National
Security Department must refer such a case to the Ministry of Culture
and Youth. It is then the decision of The Commission on Media Violations
whether the contact between a journalist and the former spokesman
of Taliban is a crime or not. If Mr Hasanyar is found guilty the
case will be passed to the National Security Department. However,
this process was not respected and the journalist was detained
without legal authorization.”
Furthermore, following a resolution issued by the Afghanistan
National Journalists Union, the State authorities are required
to comply with the provisions of the Law on Media and governmental
bodies should avoid hastiness in the detention of journalists.
Qasim Akhgar, head of the Freedom of Speech Association, also
regarded the detention of Mr. Hasanyar as a violation of the principles
of Freedom of Speech and Open Media. He asked journalists to stand
strong against what he called the pressure of government against
media outlets and journalists.
According to the laws of Afghanistan, there are three crimes which
can lead to detaining someone: material, moral or legal fault..
In this case, none of those elements apply and, therefore, the
security authorities should not have detained him. According to
the 27th article of the Constitution, “no deed shall be considered
a crime unless ruled by a law promulgated prior to commitment of
the crime.”
So far, contacts between journalists and an opponent of the Afghanistan
State has not been ruled as a crime in the Law on Media or the
Penal Code. The Tolo TV journalist was therefore detained without
legal authorization. Actions taken by State Authorities should
comply with the applicable laws. The authorities should refrain
from breaching the law as they are the very ones who enforce them.
It is likely that through such actions, the government is trying
to create a climate of self-censorship where the media will refrain
from broadcasting impartial news and programs critical towards
government. At least, there are circles inside the government which
can not tolerate Freedom of Expression and make the most of the
smallest pretext to apply pressure on the media and journalists.
However, Freedom of Expression and Freedom of media have been clearly
stipulated in the mother law, the Constitution of the country;
the State and people of Afghanistan are obliged to respect it.
Najib Roshan, Director of National Radio and TV, resigns
due to recent tensions with the Minister of Culture and Youth
Najib Roshan, who submitted his resignation letter to the President
of the State, says he resigned from his post due to the hindrances
created by Abdul Karim Khuram, Minister of Culture and Youth Affairs.
A paragraph of his resignation letter,states that “the first mission
the media has in our country is to ensure information flow and
to improve public awareness, regardless of ideological beliefs
and free of tribalism. How can the framework of a system be called
pluralistic and non-ideological while its content and motives are
totalitarian?”
In an exclusive interview with Media Watch, Mr. Roshan said:“I
resigned as an objection to the totalitarianism of some circles
inside the system. Mr. Khuram is thinking about Talibanisation
of the system and was trying to restrict freedom of the National
Radio and TV. I tried to compromise with him as much as possible
and continue the reforms in the National Radio and TV. He continued
to restrict my work to the extent that he barred the kids who would
prepare TV programs from entering the premises of the National
TV. I was therefore compelled to resign from this post.”
Based on Sanjar Suhail’s claims, the editor of RTA news room,
the number of the employees who were fired reachs up to 54, 3 of
them including Sanjar Suhail were official employees. But Najeeb
Roshan told earlier Media Watch that almost 80 employees were fired
by Karim Khuram.
Tensions with the Ministry of Culture and Youth started when Abdul
Ghani Mudaqeq was appointed by the President of the State as the
Head of the Broadcasting Department of Radio Afghanistan. Najib
Roshan, alleged that the Minister of Culture and Youth subsequently
sacked around 80 employees of the National Radio and TV Directorate
as they were not hired officially.
Regarding the appointment of Mr. Mudaqeq, the Minister of Culture
and Youth told Media Watch:“Mr. Roshan never paid attention to
Radio Afghanistan and I therefore had to appoint another person
to this post.” Concerning the dismissal of employees hired by Mr.
Roshan, the minister added:“They were working without any contract
and were receiving excessively high salaries. Their work was therefore
illegal.”
Mr. Roshan rejected the claim of Mr. Khuram and alleged that the
abovementioned employees were hired with legal contracts and were
able to provide efficient work in TV productions. He acknowledged,
though, that the reforms in Radio Afghanistan did not take place
due to the attention required by the National TV.
On this matter, Roshan said, “Since we faced a serious competition
with private TV outlets, we tried to prioritize reforms in the
TV.”
Media Watch views the tension between Mr. Khuram, Minister of
Culture and Youth and Mr. Roshan, the ex-director of National Radio
and TV to be an ideological difference rather than an administrative
problem.
The political back ground of both of them shows that they were
likely to stand against each other. Mr. Khuram was previously a
member of a fundamentalist party, the Islamic Party, which was
headed by Gulbudeen Hekmatyar. Mr. Roshan clearly accused him of
having fundamentalist ideology, while the supporters of the Minister
of Information and Culture accused Mr. Roshan of being a member
of the Shula-e-Jawid communist party. It is unfortunate that political
differences have caused good staff to loose their positions.
On the other hand, the National Radio and TV department have a
legal obligation to move towards becoming Afghanistan’s public
broadcaster, not a government entity. The present situation shows
that the government is trying to continue to keep these national
media outlets within its framework and to restrict their legally
stipulated freedom.
Some elements inside the system are trying to impose restrictions
on media and to control state-run media in order to launch programs
in support of the system. It has been demonstrated that in such
cases, the people will turn to foreign media to obtain information.
Taliban threaten reporters and media outlets via messages
and telephone calls in the South and East of the country
Recently, a letter was received by Lal Padshah Azmoon, a reporter
at Radio Ashna - VOA in the eastern zone. The letter was signed
by a person named Qari Abdul Rahman, military representative of
the Taliban in the eastern zone. It contained a serious threat
to the lives of Mr. Azmoon and other journalists in the provinces
of Nengahar, Laghman, and Kunar.
Lal Padsha Azmoon, told Media Watch, “In the letter that I received,
journalists have been accused of biased reporting and of launching
pro-governmental propagandas. In this letter, the Taliban have
warned that if journalists publish any war related figures provided
by the government and do not publish the figures provided by the
Taliban concerning casualties, their lives will be at risk.”
Mohammad Zia Bomia, chairman of the Afghanistan Committee for
Defending Journalists expressed concern and alleged that, in the
mentioned letter, not only Lal Padsha Azmoon, but also some other
journalists and media outlets such as Tolo TV and Pajhwok News
Agency have been threatened and accused of violating neutrality
and siding with the United States of America.
In addition, journalists of foreign media outlets in the southwestern
provinces of the country also complained that some local Taliban
commanders threatened them via telephone calls and required them
to leave the area.
A BBC broadcast stated that: “The mentioned commanders are not
famous Taliban leaders, but they can create problems for journalists
in areas under their control.”
Furthermore, Mohammad Amin Mudaqeq, director of Radio Azadi in
Kabul, told Media Watch: “the mentioned threats are made against
all journalists and media outlets”
Aimal Pesarlay, head of BBC Radio office in Kabul, confirmed the
matter and said that due to security problems, he could not reveal
the names of the journalists who were threatened. It is worth highlighting
that despite communication of threats through telephones, the Taliban
have also entered journalists homes and threatened them directly.
Though, Fazel Rahman, journalist at Radio Ashna- VOA in Qandahar
province, expressed he was not aware of the threats.
This is proof that the Taliban are not happy with the way journalists
conduct their work . They want to intimidate media outlets to publish
reports in their favor.
Media Watch expresses concern about the matter and requests State
Authorities to pay attention to the security of foreign and domestic
media journalists.
However, the State of Afghanistan endeavors to impose restrictions
on media rather than prevent such threats. Thus they face the media
with yet another challenge.
Release of Abdul Qudoos from jail, journalist for Radio
Sulh [Peace] in Jabulseraj
Eleven months, ago while Abdul Qudoos was attending a training
course at Nai Supporting Afghanistan Open Media, he was arrested
by the police of Parwan Province on the charge of attempted murder
on Ms. Samia Sadat, an MP elected from Parwan Province.
Abdul Qudoos was taken to the Court on Crimes against Domestic
and Foreign Security, but the court order was adjourned. On 11th
of Dalwa, 1385 (Jan, 31, 2007), he was declared innocent. However,
he remained prisoner for another week.At that time, Abdul Jabar
Sabit, Prosecutor General, told Media Watch: “If Mr. Qudoos has
been declared innocent by the court; I am ready to issue his release
order right away.”
After spending 11 months in custody, Abdul Qudoos was set free
on a court order issued one week before.
He told Media Watch:“I underwent tough times during those 11 months.
Nine times, I was summoned to the court but the claimant, Ms. Samia
Sadat, was absent. There was no evidence concerning the accusation.
I spent the period in prison only due to the political influence
of Ms. Sadat. After I was declared innocent, Abdul Jabbar Taqwa
(governor of Parwan Province) convened a gathering of local elders
in order to restore her dignity by making a peace deal between
us since she had made a false claim.”
He added: “They decided in my absence that I will not talk to
media about this case and that I will not claim the restoration
of my dignity and rights.”
Mr. Taqwa said: “I tried to replace enmity and opposition with
peace and understanding so that this case could be over. In this
meeting, Ms. Zakia Zaki, director of Radio Sulh- Jabulseraj, was
present and the local elders decided that the case should be over.
Ms. Sadat declared in front of all members of the meeting that
she has neither now nor will in the future have any claim against
Abdul Qudoos.
Media Watch attempted to contact Ms. Samia Sadat, but with no
success.
Media Watch believes the case of Abdul Qudoos highlights the personal
influence high ranking officials have on the judicial process.
Laws of Afghanistan stipulate that the court shall issue a decision
within thirty days concerning the innocence or guilt of the accused,
while the journalist of Radio Sulh spent 11 months in custody without
such a decision.
No authority accepts responsibility for the suffering of Abdul
Qudoos during his time in prison. Neither the claimant and the
justice authorities nor the prosecutors can compensate the mental
and material losses he suffered.
Indian Movie Kabul Express banned in Afghanistan
The movie “Kabul Express”, produced by the Indian Company Yash
Raj, was officially banned for insulting a tribe of Afghanistan.
The film entered the Afghan cinema market on 24, 09, 1385 (Dec,
15, 2006) and resulted in an outcry.
On 15, 10, 1385 (Jan, 05, 2007), a number of people gathered in
Khatam-ul-Anbia Mosque in Dasht-e-Barchee area of Kabul City and
requested a trial for the movie director and Afghan actors.
On 18, 10, 1385 (Jan, 08, 2007), the Cabinet of Ministers ordered
an investigation into the case and an inquiry on Hanif Hamgam,
the Afghan actor in the film. The Ministry of Culture and Youth
also issued a notice, banning the film in Afghanistan.
Abdul Karim Khuram, Minister of Culture and Youth told Media Watch,
“We banned the broadcast of the film through TV networks and cinemas
in Afghanistan since it contained, humiliation of a tribe from
our country. He added:“In addition, CDs of the film were removed
from the market. The decision of the Cabinet of Ministers to question
Hanif Hamgam does not mean punishing him. This is only an order
to make an investigation.” However, when asked what type of humiliation
exists in the film, the Minister of Culture and Youth said he had
not yet seen the movie.
In an interview with the National TV, Kabir Khan, director of
Kabul Express, alleged that there was no humiliating conversation
in the film. He claimed that this version of the film had been
stolen before entering Afghanistan.
Concerning whether the director of a film bears responsibility
or the actors, Engineer Latif Ahmadi, Head of Afghan Film Directorate,
replied to Media Watch: “The responsibility for each film remains
with the director; and actors play their role only as instructed
by the director.”
Engineer Latif Ahmadi added: “Yash-Raj came to Afghanistan with
the agreement of the government of Afghanistan and the Afghan Film
Directorate studied the script. In the original story, there was
no indication of humiliation. Afghan Film and Azim Films Company
provided logistic support to Yash-Raj Company.”
On 17, 10,1385 (Jan, 07, 2007), Hanif Hamgam, told Pajhwok New
Agency: “For a few days, I have recieved threatening telephone
calls.”
The story of the controversial film “Kabul Express” is about two
Indians and one American journalist who enter Afghanistan after
the collapse of Taliban and are held hostage by a Pakistani Taleb.
The Taleb wants to go to Pakistan while using the hostages as shields.
Along the way, they reach an area where the driver tells the Indian
journalist that they are in a Hazara region. The journalist asks:
“What is a Hazara?” and the driver replies: “Hazara is a tribe
that hits nails in the heads of people.” At that moment, the Taleb
kills the Hazaras and says: “Were I not here, you would have all
died.” But the driver holds his gun pointing to the Talib and says:
“You are a dog like them and must stay among them.”
Apparently, the film of Kabul Express resembles Istanbul Express
which was made by Bollywood and depicts the post World War II killings
in Turkey.
Upon an evaluation of the matter, Media Watch concludes that the
decision taken by the Cabinet of Ministers seems irrational on
two grounds.
Firstly, why was the film’s storyline not thoroughly studied
and the scripts not read? Secondly, according to the laws of Afghanistan
any company that enters the country is obliged to submit the storyline
to the Ministry of Culture and Youth prior to its entry.
Whenever a company obtains the agreement of the Afghan Film Directorate,
the actors and director can then begin their work. Concerning Kabul
Express this process did not occur. Firstly, the company entered
Afghanistan and only after entry was the scenario was delivered
to the relevant authorities. The government of Afghanistan paid
more attention to the safety of the film’s hero (John Abraham)
rather than the plot, and appointed sixty soldiers [the police]
as his security guards.
Secondly, as told by the head of the Afghan Film Directorate,
the responsibility of a film lays with the director, not the actors.
Therefore, the order to make an inquiry in to the Afghan actor
should have not been issued.
It is evident that the Ministry of Culture and Youth should have
been aware of the filming process since each country has to protect
its own national interests. Respect to the tribes resident in Afghanistan
in the interest of all Afghans. Production companies and foreign
media outlets that are resident in Afghanistan should consider
such sensitivities in their productions.
Media Watch believes this case is more about lack of attention
from the Afghan government rather than offences committed by the
actors or the director. The government should have studied the
story more carefully and should have been aware of the filming
process. Concerning Kabul Express, the government, esp. the Ministry
of Information and Culture should acknowledge its mistakes and
not repeat them in the future.
Web site Kabul Press blocked for two days at
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA)
Kamran Mir Hazar, in charge of www.kabulpress.org, a website dedicated
to news, has alleged that the site was blocked for two days at
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Mr. Mir Hazar told Media Watch: “Kabulpress, a website of news,
was filtered out for two days at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and the access to the site was blocked for MoFA employees”
He said: “MoFA has installed a filter on its server and therefore
the Kabul Press site was blocked. I talked to Sultan Ahmad Baheen,
spokesman of MoFA and two days later, I was informed that Kabulpress
was accessible at MoFA.”
Concerning filtering out internet sites in Afghanistan, Abdul
Kareem Khuram, Minister of Culture and Youth said: “We have no
specific law governing this issue and all websites are accessible
to any one.”
Sultan Ahmad Baheen, rejected the allegation made by Mr. Mir Hazar
that MoFA had blocked the site, and said: “MoFA did not block any
site except those believed to be immoral. The allegation of Mr.
Mir Hazar is far from the truth.”
In connection with accessibility of internet sites, Aimal Marjan,
head of the ITC Department at Ministry of Communications, told
Media Watch: “So far, there is no specific provision concerning
use of internet sites in the laws of the Ministry of Communications.
Hopefully the procedures for how to use this technology will be
specified in a law. However, every Ministry and State Organization
imposes restrictions on nude and immoral sites.”
Media Watch discussed the matter with some experts in information
technology. They said controlling and blocking pornographic sites
might affect and block access to some other sites as well.
There are no distinct provisions in the Media Law concerning Internet
and copyright and such a deficiency may create problems for news
related sites since the State can block some sites under such a
pretext.
In his recent contact with Media Watch, Kamran Mir Hazar alleged
that www.kabulpress.com has once again been blocked at the MoFA.
In the next MWR, we will have another look at this allegation.
Establishment of Joint Pak-Afghan Association of Journalists
(PAIMA) in Kabul
On 13th, 1385 (Jan, 03, 2007), during a visit to Kabul by Mohammad
Ali Durrani it was agreed to form an Association of Afghan and
Pakistani Journalists.
The purpose of the association is to facilitate joint cooperation
between Pak- Afghan journalists.
According to Pazhwok News Agency, in a meeting at the Ministry
of Culture and Youth, attended by the Pakistani Minister of Information
and the Afghan Minister of Culture and Youth , Rahimullah Samander,
Head of Afghanistan Free Journalist Association, and Mohammad Riaz,
in charge of Peshawar Media Clubs, were appointed by other journalists
to be president and deputy president of the association. Eight
Afghan Journalists have been nominated as members of the association.
Rahimullah Samandar, has so far refused to take up his positon
as president and told Media Watch: “So far elections have not been
held. We nominated eight journalists for temporary membership in
the association who are: Fahim Dashti, editor-in-chief of Kabul
Weekly; Najiba Ayubi, Director of Killid Radio, Mohammad Abdullah,
journalist at Tolo TV; Dr. Hussain Yasa, editor-in-chief of Afghanistan
Daily and Daily Outlook; Ghaus Zelmay; Nooria Ashraf, lecturer
at the Faculty of Journalism in Kabul University; Mohammad Amin
Mudaqeq, Head of Azadi Radio office in Kabul; and Bari Sallam,
editor-in-chief of Subh Bakhair Afghanistan programs.
Samandar added, “There were previous attempts to form such an
association in order to provide accurate news to people in the
two neighboring countries. Nowadays, the news in Pakistan is that
the fight in Afghanistan involves Afghan fighters known as the
Northern Alliance whereas this alliance doesn’t exist any more.”
He maintained: “Some media outlets in Afghanistan also engaged
in false reports against Pakistan. This association will work to
eliminate such an atmosphere from the media of the two countries
and to promote further cooperation and understanding between the
people and governments of both countries.”
However, Sediq Ahmad Zada, executive director of Tolo TV rejected
the claim that Afghan media submits false reports against Pakistan
and said: “The aim of Tolo TV has always been to broadcast facts
and never broadcast false or un-verified programs Tolo TV will
keep on following the same path.”
Abdul Hafiz Mansoor, editor-in-chief of Payam-e-Mujadid Weekly,
said the formation of the Joint Journalists Association of Pakistan
and Afghanistan was a humiliation for the Media community, and
said: “the formation of this association on the ground that Afghan
media supports false reports against Pakistan, is an insult to
Afghan media, because what is published by Afghan media about Pakistan
is mostly true and is not baseless propaganda.”
Media Watch believes that formation of PAIMA is good for unearthing
facts about Afghanistan so that the people of Pakistan can be aware
of the present realities in the country. However, the important
issue is that the Afghan members of the association should have
a wide representation from all over Afghanistan and appointed by
elections at the Afghanistan National Union of Journalists. Also,
the Afghan members should realize the delicate nature of their
work so that Pakistan will not be able to prevent publication of
facts about its actions in Afghanistan.
Pakistan is attempting to prevent Afghan media from publishing
reports which reveal and unfold its intervention in Afghanistan.
For example, broadcasting Tolo TV was banned not so long ago in
Peshawar City. The ban was lifted after the trip of Pakistani Prime
Minister, Shaukat Aziz, to Kabul. However, according to the latest
report, the government of Pakistan has once again deprived Afghan
refugees and people of Pakistan of watching Tolo TV. The details
of this matter will be presented in the coming report.
Afghanistan Press Club to be launched by Nai Supporting
Afghanistan Open Mediain Kabul City
Nai is set to launch a club called The Afghanistan Press Club.
The aim of the club is to provide services to all journalists and
the media community.
Abdul Mujeeb Khalwatgar, executive director of Nai, told Media
Watch, “We realized the need to coordinate journalists and establish
a media news center. Therefore, the center will be able to provide
necessary media related services to journalists and media community.”
He added: “In the club, journalists will have access to news sites
and will also benefit professionally from the Nai, Journalism Training
Radio. Membership of the club is conditioned upon working in a
functional media outlet and residence in Kabul. Membership for
journalists based in the provinces is based on their ability to
meet once a month with the club in Kabul.
Mr. Khelwatgar said the main condition for membership in the club
was impartiality and requested media authorities to cooperate with
Nai in this context.
The view of Media Watch is that this club, which will be formed
in a month, will be able to assist journalists to receive news
and obtain access to news sources.
Abdul Hameed Mubarez, senior advisor to Afghanistan National Union
of Journalists, told Media Watch, “Formation of journalists clubs
is necessary, not only in Kabul, but also throughout Afghanistan.
He added, “Such clubs can play an efficient role by providing ways
of broadening journalists knowledge through facilitating the exchange
of ideas. As a journalist for a long period, I will become a member
of the club upon studying its Articles of Formation because I am
keen to share my experience in the press of Afghanistan with young
journalists, and to hear and benefit from their views concerning
the media in Afghanistan.”
It is notable that members of the club will be able to discuss
daily reports and live news and draw on the work of each other
for the purpose of their professional development.
It is worth mentioning that the first club of journalists (The
Kabul Press Club) was formed in Kabul in 2001 with the support
of Reporters without Borders [Reporters Sans Frontieres] in Ayena
press center. One year ago, the club shifted from Ayena Center
to the Center for International Journalism in Shashdarak of Kabul.
Khost province State-run TV re-launched
On 8th, Dalwa, 1385 (Jan, 28, 2007), the State run TV of the Southern
province of Khost, restarted broadcasting.
Construction of the TV station building cost 200 000 USD and was
funded by US PRT (Provincial Reconstruction Team). The equipment
and supplies were provided by Suhail Haroon Company with the assistance
of the International Community.
The director of the newly inaugurated TV station, Sakhi Sarwar
Miakhel, said: “After two months of test transmissions, television
broadcasting has been officially launched in Khost province. The
station will relay 5 hours of programming every 24 hours which
will include religious, political, and cultural programs. There
are twenty staff members in the station, all of whom are male.
The broadcast area of the TV station is 60 Km around Khost city.”
The state run TV station of Khost stopped working after the fall
of Dr. Najibullah, the ex-president of Afghanistan. Now, it has
been rehabilitated and its transmission relaunched.
According to another report, Paiwastoon magazine is being
printed in Khost city. The freelance publication has 16 pages and
its editor-in-chief is Mohammad Rasool Adel.
Mr. Adel commented that he privately funded the publication to
reflect the problems faced by people in Khost and the actions taken
in the province to promote freedom of speech.
First issue of “The Journalist” published by
Afghanistan National Union of Journalists
Khabarnegar (the “Journalist”) was printed on 16th, Dalwa 1385
(Feb, 05, 2007), which contains various news, analysis and briefings
for journalists. Khabarnegar consists of 16 pages, and contains
articles in three languages (Dari, Pashto and English) with the
following headlines: Cases of threatening and pressure on media
and journalists in Afghanistan during the last year; Special Media
Watch Report from Nai; Formation of Afghanistan National Union
of Journalists; purpose of media outlets; explanation of the factors
behind tensions between media outlets and the State; understanding
work in media; and other issues in relation to journalists.
------------------------------------------------------------
For any queries or information please contact:
mediawatch@nai.org.af
Sididqullah Tauwhidi
Media Analyst
sidiqullahtauwhidia@internews.org
Mob: 0093(0)70-279-176
Jawid Ahmad
Media Watch journalist
jawid.ahmad@nai.org.af
Mob: 0093(0)799-340-831
Mohammad Sabir Fahim
Fahim.sabir@nai.org.af
Mob: 0093(0)70-266-727
In case of any legal problem, journalists may contact our legal
advisor, Mohammad Abdullah, mobile: 0093(0)797-192-050, or m.lawyer@nai.org.af
------------------------------------------------
To obtain a soft copy of the report, please visit the following
link: www.nai.org.af
Note: To maintain confidentiality and to protect sources it
was not possible for Nai to corroborate the incidents by carrying
out additional investigations.
None of the material herein may be reproduced without permission
from Nai.
This newsletter was made possible through support provided
by the office of the United States Agency for International Development
through Counterpart International Inc, under the terms of award
No. 306-A-00-05-00511-00.
The opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and
do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Agency for International
Development and Counterpart International.
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