KABUL: The Taliban government in Afghanistan has forcibly closed Shamshad News operations, one of the most important private television channels in Afghanistan, due to supposedly not showing anti-Pakistan materials.
As per reports from Afghan media, officials at the Taliban suddenly cut off all transmissions from Shamshad News, both television and radio, in the whole country on Friday. Moreover, the channel’s social media accounts were also deleted.
The Taliban has not yet made any official statements regarding the matter, but the Afghan Journalists Center cited insiders as saying that the Taliban accused Shamshad News of not doing enough anti-Pakistan propaganda and coverage concerning the recent border conflicts, and of not being very supportive of the government’s position.
Shamshad News, located in Kabul, is one of the most viewed private broadcasters in Afghanistan, and is known for its Pashto news and current affairs programming.
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The termination of its activities has raised heavy doubts concerning the freedom of press and media censorship under the Taliban regime, which has already been criticized by international rights groups for drying up journalists’ independence and restricting information flow.
