report in TOLOnews, Sept 5, 2023
The activities of seven media outlets in Paktia have stopped due to economic challenges after the Islamic Emirate took over the country.
According to the officials, these include four radio stations, two print media outlets, and one online media outlet.
“The media operating in the province have many economic problems and there is no specific source to finance them,” said Sayed Omer Adil, head of a radio station in Paktia.
“Media is the eyes of a country, if the government pays attention to it, it can both benefit itself and give legitimacy to the systems,” said Saif Sayad, the head of the radio.
Officials and employees of some media outlets said that if the media outlets that are still active are not supported, there is a concern that they will also stop activities.
“In general, the media are facing economic problems, and it will not be long before the media in the province close their doors,” said Ehsanullah Tayb, a radio station employee.
“We request the government does something serious for the media and takes care of their problems,” said Wahidullah, a radio employee.
Meanwhile, the Information and Culture department in Paktia pledged to support the media that operates under the principles of the Islamic Emirate.
“The Islamic Emirate is committed to supporting those media that publish according to the principles of the Islamic Emirate,” said Sawabjan Islamyar, head of the information and Culture department in Paktia.
Currently, in addition to RTA in Paktia, six private radio stations are operating in the province, two of which have just started to operate. https://tolonews.com/afghanistan/provincial-184930
