Taliban rename Afghan Parliament's broadcaster, Air Islamic programs: Report

The Taliban renamed the official broadcaster of the Afghan parliament and made changes to its list of programs, media reports said.

The company was earlier named after the country's lower house, Wolesi Jirga Radio and Television, Sputnik news agency reported. The outfit renamed it to Al-Hijra and began airing Islamic-themed programs, the report added.

At least 70 per cent of media outlets have stopped working in Afghanistan since the Taliban took control over the country due to financial problems.

The national association of journalists earlier this month had said that they found the statistics after conducting an online survey in 28 provinces of Afghanistan, Khamma Press reported. They said that 1,500 Afghan journalists had taken part in the survey.

As per the statistics of the organization, 67 per cent of the Afghan journalists have lost their jobs and 33 per cent of them are busy working under acute pressure and in tough situations.

The Head of the national association of journalists said Masroor Lutfi said that most of the Afghan media that are active are confronting dire economic and financial situations.

"40 per cent of the Afghan journalists are worried about their safety in Afghanistan and rest of them are living a difficult life as they have lost their jobs," said Lutfi.

The re-emergence of the Taliban in Afghanistan raised the concerns among many that journalists in the country would be targeted to silence dissent.

Taliban security forces have also arbitrarily detained journalists and beaten several. The head of a journalists' advocacy group told Human Rights Watch that the Taliban have taken at least 32 journalists into custody since they took power in Kabul on August 15, the Human Rights Watch said.

( With inputs from ANI )

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