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40% of Afghan media have closed, 80% of women journalists lost their jobs

A survey by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Afghan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA) has found a radical change in the Afghan media landscape since the takeover by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).
According to a report on the RSF website, a total of 231 media outlets have closed and more than 6,400 journalists have lost their jobs since 15 August.
Women journalists have been hit hardest, with four out of five no longer working, the report stated.
More than four out of every ten media outlets have disappeared and 60% of journalists and media employees are no longer able to work.
According to the RSF report, of the 543 media outlets tallied in Afghanistan at the start of the summer, only 312 were still operating at the end of November.
This means that 43% of Afghan media outlets disappeared in the space of three months.
The central Kabul region, which had more media than anywhere else, has not been spared. It has lost more than one of every two media outlets (51%). Of the 148 tallied prior to 15 August, only 72 are still operating.
RSF reported that the closure or reduction in the activities of media outlets has had a major impact on employment in the media sector. Of the 10,790 people working in the Afghan media (8,290 men and 2,490 women) at the start of August, only 4,360 (3,950 men and 410 women) – or four out of every ten media workers – were still working when this survey was carried out.
RSF attributed this change in part to new regulations issued by the IEA.
The rules require journalists to tell information and culture ministry officials what they would like to cover, get their permission to go ahead and finally inform them about the results of their reporting in order to be able to publish.
“There is an urgent need to rein in the spiral leading inevitably to the disappearance of Afghan media and to ensure that respect for press freedom is a priority,” said Reza Moini, the head of RSF’s Iran-Afghanistan desk.
“Journalists’ safety, the fate of women journalists, media legislation and the right of access to news and information are all crucial issues that the authorities must address without delay. Without a free press capable of exposing bad governance’s failings, no one will be able to claim that they are combatting famine, poverty, corruption, drug trafficking and the other scourges that afflict Afghanistan and prevent a lasting peace.”
IEA spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told RSF that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan supports “freedom for the media in the defined framework for preserving the country’s higher interests, with respect for the Sharia and Islam.” He also said that the government wanted to “help those media that are operating to continue to do so, and help the others to find solutions so that they can resume operating.”
Aside from new rules, media owners have to cope with new economic constraints. Many media outlets were receiving national and international funding that ended when the IEA seized control.
“These subsidies, which came above all from countries that had a military presence in Afghanistan and which had an interest in providing them, have now ended,” said Mujahid.
Recognizing the disappearance of many media outlets, Mujahid noted that many media “executives and managers had fled the country.”
This had contributed to the “collapse” of their media outlets, he said.
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Acting FM Muttaqi departs for Iran to attend Tehran Dialogue Forum

Acting Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) Amir Khan Muttaqi on Saturday left Kabul for Iran to attend Tehran Dialogue Forum.
Hafiz Zia Ahmad, deputy spokesman for the foreign ministry, said that the delegation accompanying Muttaqi also includes Abdul Latif Nazari, deputy minister of economy.
In addition to participating in the Tehran Dialogue Forum, Muttaqi is scheduled to meet with his Iranian counterpart and other high-ranking officials to discuss bilateral relations.
Tehran Dialogue Forum will be held on May 17-19.
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Kazakhstan expresses concern over construction of Qosh Tepa canal in Afghanistan

Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Aslan Abdraimov, has warned that the Qosh Tepa canal in Afghanistan could significantly reduce the flow of the Syr Darya River, with direct consequences for the already depleted Aral Sea.
He made the remarks at the recent international conference, Water Security and Transboundary Water Use: Challenges and Solutions, held in Astana.
“No sharp fluctuations in water resources are expected in the near term, but in the long term, a reduction in the Syr Darya’s flow is inevitable,” Abdraimov stated. He emphasized that this would further strain the fragile water balance in the Aral Sea basin.
Azamatkhan Amirtayev, chairman of Kazakhstan’s Baytak Party, expressed concern that the Qosh Tepa canal could divert 25-30% of the Amu Darya’s flow. “This means that Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan will receive less water. Consequently, Uzbekistan may draw more from the Syr Darya, leading to reduced water availability for Kazakhstan, potentially by 30-40%,” Amirtayev said. He urged for regional cooperation and scientifically informed policymaking to mitigate water losses.
The Qosh Tepa canal is a canal being built in northern Afghanistan to divert water from the Amu Darya River. The main canal is expected to be 285 km long and the overall initiative seeks to convert 550,000 hectares of desert into farmland.
Earlier, Uzbek authorities had also expressed concern about the construction of the Qosh Tepe canal in Afghanistan.
However, the Islamic Emirate has assured Uzbekistan that it will not be harmed by the canal.
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Afghanistan’s trade with Pakistan increased by 23% in April

The bilateral trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan has recorded an increase of approximately 23 percent from $97 million in March to $119 million during April on month-over-month basis, a Pakistani newspaper reported on Saturday.
In April 2025, Pakistan’s exports to Afghanistan rose by 21 percent compared to March 2025, increasing from $72 million to $87 million, The Nation reported.
Imports from Afghanistan also surged by 28 percent, reaching $32 million from $25 million in the month of March 2025. This led to a 23 percent rise in total bilateral trade for April between Afghanistan and Pakistan from $97 million in March to $119 million during April on month-on-month basis.
However, in April 2025, the growth momentum slowed on year-on-year basis.
Overall, Pakistan exports to Afghanistan increased by 31 percent from $871 million during the first 10 months (July to April) of the FY 2023-24 to $1,138.3 million in the same period of the ongoing fiscal year 2024-25, according to the newspaper.
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