Taliban Clamps Down Shamshad News Muzzled for Refusal to Disseminate Propaganda
In a step that highlights the Taliban’s increasing grip over Afghanistan’s media, the administration has suddenly stopped the operations of Shamshad News, the nation’s second-largest television channel. Why? For refusal to indulge in anti-Pakistan propaganda or air content that adheres solely to pro-Taliban school of thought.
This newest crackdown is a testament to the Taliban’s increasing intolerance of independent reporting and critical opinions. For Afghanistan’s already vulnerable media, the muzzling of Shamshad News is another crushing blow to freedom of expression.
A Sweeping Clampdown: Radio, TV, and Social Media Brought Offline
News received from inside Afghanistan indicates that the Taliban regime has not only halted the TV broadcasts of Shamshad News but also closed down its radio and social media activities. The action is interpreted as a deliberate effort to isolate the media house and remove one of the few available platforms providing relatively balanced reporting.
The Taliban regime pressured Shamshad’s management to broadcast material against Pakistan and in favor of the agenda of the Taliban regime, the sources said. When the organization held firm, the government rapidly ordered a total shutdown of its operations.
“This is not so much about one channel,” remarked a Kabul-based journalist. “It’s about removing any platform that is not acting as the mouthpiece for the Taliban.”
Wider Media Shutdown in Afghan Provinces
The shutdown has not been confined to Shamshad News. The Taliban’s accelerating censorship has also spread to Afghanistan’s national television, whose programs are said to have been suspended in three provinces — Kandahar, Takhar, and Badghis.
Witnesses interpret this as just part of a larger effort to monopolize information and silence any kind of critical journalism. The Taliban’s policies concerning the media, dominated by their interpretation of Islamic law, have progressively left little space for journalistic autonomy.
Journalists Under Pressure: “Freedom of Expression Is Dead”
The Afghan Journalists Center denounced the suspension, cautioning that the Taliban regime is ramping up its assault on media outlets. “The room for independent journalism in Afghanistan is closing day by day,” a spokesman said. “Any publication or reporter trying to cover things objectively has severe repercussions.”
Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, Afghan journalists — particularly women — have endured harassment, detentions, and constant intimidation. Many have fled the country, while those who remain operate under fear and censorship.
A Regime of Fear and Intolerance
The punishment of Shamshad News for not airing anti-Pakistan propaganda reveals the Taliban’s increasing paranoia and dependence on coercive control. Rather than concentrating on governance, economic recovery, or the welfare of the people, the regime seems determined to stifle dissent and manipulate national sentiment through propaganda.
Experts consider this new development to further isolate Afghanistan in the international community. By muzzling one of its few credible news sources, the Taliban has again shown its inability to accept anything other than its own opinions or respect fundamental human rights.
A Dark Day for Afghan Media
Shamshad News’s shutdown is more than a case of censorship — it’s a sign of Afghanistan’s fall into the abyss of authoritarian silence. For journalists, it’s yet another reminder that courage has a price tag. For the Afghan people, it’s a sacrifice of one of the last independent sources of truth.
As international watchdogs continue to sound the alarm about Taliban censorship of the media, one thing is certain: the voices of Afghan journalists are being systematically silenced. Who will then speak for Afghanistan when every microphone has been silenced?
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