RASC News Agency: The Afghanistani Journalists’ Center has vehemently condemned the Taliban’s imposition of a monopolized media narrative, denouncing the recent ban on political programming across all media platforms as an outright enforcement of a “one-voice” policy. In a statement released on Friday, February 14, the organization revealed that the Taliban has issued verbal orders prohibiting the broadcast of both political and economic content. According to the statement, the Taliban has explicitly warned media outlets that failure to adhere to this directive will result in severe punitive measures.
The Afghanistani Journalists’ Center underscored that this latest restriction not only targets political discourse but also curtails discussions on economic affairs. As per the statement, television networks in Afghanistan are now restricted to broadcasting interviews exclusively with Taliban spokespersons. Additionally, the organization reported that the Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture has announced plans to introduce further media restrictions, with additional directives expected to be finalized by the following Monday. Expressing profound concern over these escalating constraints, the Afghanistani Journalists’ Center characterized them as part of a systematic effort to dismantle independent journalism and extinguish critical voices.
This latest move aligns with the Taliban’s ongoing pattern of issuing repressive decrees designed to erode press freedoms and stifle opposition. The stark reality is that the Taliban envisions a rigidly controlled society one in which absolute authority is concentrated within a meticulously structured hierarchy: first, the dominance of the Pashtun elite; second, the exclusive empowerment of radical clerics over moderate religious scholars; third, the systematic marginalization of women, with societal leadership confined strictly to men indoctrinated within extremist Madrassas; and fourth, the uncompromising enforcement of their religious doctrine across every facet of public life. These principles form the ideological bedrock of Talibanism in Afghanistan.
