Anti-state radio broadcasts heard in Logar

PUL-I-ALAM (Pajhwok): Logar officials on Saturday said some radios across the border in Pakistan broadcasts being heard in the central province’s Charkh district.

Khalilullah Kamal, the Charkh district chief, said reports reaching them revealed the frequency range of these radios increased after Taliban erected a transmitter they had brought from Pakistan to an unknown location of the district.

He said the broadcasts were aimed at provoking Afghans against their own government. “The radio programmes are used to insult and defame Afghan forces and encourage Afghan youth to join insurgent ranks and wage a war against the government and foreign forces,” he said.

Kamal said he had shared the issue with the governor’s house and had asked security organs to locate the equipment the insurgents had installed.

“My duty was to convey the issue to security forces and the governor’s house. I consider it regrettable that no action has been taken so far.”

A resident of Pangram area of the town, Syed Baryalai, said Taliban’s radio broadcasts were clearly and easily heard in their area.

“I don’t know from where these programmes are aired the entire day speaking in support of Taliban and their Islamic Emirate and against the Afghan government. They also air songs praising Taliban,” he said.

However, the provincial Information and Culture Department expressed unawareness about such radio broadcasts.

Mohammad Shafique Popal, the department head, said he had no information in this regard because Charkh was a volatile district, where they had no representative.

However, he admitted it was not a difficult job for Pakistan or any other neighbouring country to transmit programmes through FM signals.  He said the Taliban had three years ago activated their FM Voice of Shariah radio in the province.

The anti-state radio broadcasts surface at a time when fighters claiming allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) in Charkh district have banned watching TV channels.

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