KABUL (Pajhwok): Journalists and media leaders on Thursday welcomed the government’s recent remarks about media affairs, especially the implementation of the previous media law, and called on the government to take practical steps in this regard.
Zabihullah Mujahid, Spokesman of the Islamic Emirate and Deputy Minister of Information and Culture, said yesterday that the Mass Media Law is enforceable. He said a joint media and government commission will also be set up.
According to him, after the formation of the commission, no government agency will interfere in the affairs of the media.
Journalists’ support organizations in Afghanistan have previously said that the lack of a law for the media in the country and the increase in violence against journalists have made the working environment for journalists more difficult.
Abid Ehsas, head of the news department at Shamshad TV, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the government’s implementation of the media law was a good step towards resolving problems the community faced and showed that there was a commitment to working of the media.
According to him, this is despite the fact that media leaders have always called on the government to come up with a policy and guidelines for media work.
He said that journalists and media outlets would regulate their activities under the law and would seek their rights in the light of the law.
He says setting up a commission to investigate media violations is also a good idea because media violations will be investigated by the same commission and every agency will not interfere in media affairs.
He called on the government to create more facilities for the media and journalists and to pay more attention to what is the right of the media and journalists under the law.
Ehsas said the government should take practical steps in this regard and the media should regulate its activities in the light of media law.
Ghulam Jilani Zwak, head of Kabul News Private TV, also called the government’s implementation of the media law a step towards freedom of expression, saying it would allay concerns about the functioning of the media.
He called on the government to stop arresting and beating journalists and said that if it continued, Mujahid’s remarks about enforcing the media law would contradict the practice.
Jilani said the government should be courageous, tolerate criticism and those who criticize should not face any problems.
Hujjatullah Mujaddedi, head of the Afghanistan Independent Journalists’ Association, also said that the government’s move would solve the problems of journalists and the media.
“The problem we have been facing recently is the lack of enforcement of the media law, which has also led to journalists not having access to information, and journalists being beaten,” he said.
According to him, by implementing the government’s promises, the problem of lack of access to information for journalists will be solved and the media will be able to conduct its work in a better atmosphere.
Radio Liberty Afghanistan correspondent Feroz Azizi also welcomed Zabihullah Mujahid’s remarks on media affairs, saying the government’s move was more important than ever in the current situation.
“The precarious situation facing the media in the country has forced many media outlets to suspend their operations or continue their operations in fear,” he said. “The media and journalists are facing a lot of problems. The establishment of a commission for media violations and the implementation of the old law will solve most of the problems of journalists and media outlets.”
According to him, the government’s move has revived hopes in the hearts of journalists.
Satellite Radio reporter Jawad Teymouri also said that the media law enacted in the previous government was the most authoritative law in the region and the current government, which considers the law to be enforceable, is a good move.
He said the government’s move had eased concerns among journalists in the media. He hoped that with the passage of time other problems of journalists would be solved and practical steps would be taken in this regard.
“The important thing is that the implementation of the media law, first and foremost, requires the new government’s full commitment to freedom of expression,” Timuri said. That is, before the law can be implemented, the leadership of the current caretaker government must demonstrate its commitment to freedom of expression in Afghanistan and then the law can be better implemented. ”
He suggested that a joint government-media committee be set up soon to monitor the implementation of the law and assess violations of the law.
According to him, the current situation of access to information in Afghanistan is a matter of serious concern, so it is necessary to introduce professional spokespersons to all agencies and also to place specialists in the Commission for addressing media violations. “The current climate of mistrust between the media and government agencies can be overcome.”
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