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Ariana News Airs Five Programs From BBC Persian
The BBC’s Persian Television Service and Ariana News, Afghanistan’s leading TV channels, have launched a content partnership.
Ariana News, a division of the Ariana Radio & Television Network (ATN), will now broadcast Shast Daqiqa (60 Minutes), the BBC Persian’s flagship news and analysis program Saturday to Wednesday. In addition, ATN will air additional BBC programmes, including current affairs program Safheh Do (Page Two Weekend), interview programme Ba-ebarat-e-Digar (HARDtalk), current affairs programme Pargar (Compass), and Click, the guide to digital technology.
BBC Persian has a global weekly audience of 21m on TV, radio, website and social media. It currently reaches around 8.5m people in Afghanistan every week.
BBC Persian reaches 12.1 m people in Afghanistan every week, 59% of the adult population, with content from BBC News Afghanistan in Dari and Pashto, BBC News Persian, BBC News Uzbek and the BBC English-language news content on TV, radio and digital.
Simon Kendall, the BBC World Service Director of Business Development, said: “We are delighted that through this new partnership with Ariana News a suite of BBC News Persian programs will be available to audiences in Afghanistan. We are excited to be increasing BBC presence on TV in the region and we hope that audiences will enjoy our programs alongside our digital and audio offer. We look forward to working with Ariana as we establish this important new agreement.”
Ali Kasemi, ATN Group’s Managing Director, stated that the collaboration between the two TV channels is an opportunity for Ariana News “to bring the world to Afghan viewers.”
“ATN was founded in 2005 with a mission to provide our viewers with a ‘Window to the World’ so that all Afghans could watch, share, and enjoy the best global news, entertainment, sports and information from around the world,” Kasemi said. “We are very proud to be adding BBC News Persian’s award-winning programming to our content package, and we see this partnership as an exciting continuation of our commitment to bring the world to Afghan viewers and families around the nation.”
Shast Daqiqa will air at 23.00 Kabul Time Saturday to Wednesday; Pargar – 12.00 on Sundays; Ba-ebarat-e-Digar – 20.30 on Tuesdays; Safheh Do – 23.00 on Thursdays; Click – 21.30 on Fridays.
BBC Persian TV is broadcast via satellite (Hotbird, YahSat and Telstar 12), and is streamed live online via BBC Persian’s official website and YouTube channel.
BBC Persian also reaches its audience via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Telegram. BBC Persian radio broadcasts are visualized, enabling audiences to also watch radio programs on TV and digital platforms.
The Ministry of Education reported the tragic losses, highlighting the impact of strikes on civilians and students in the region.
Education Ministry spokesman Mansoor Ahmad Hamza also said that a student at a religious seminary was injured in Barmal district of Paktika province, another area affected by the Pakistani military attacks over the weekend.
Dozens of civilians have reportedly been killed or injured in the airstrikes, which Afghan authorities say targeted residential homes and community areas in both Nangarhar and Paktika provinces.
Local sources describe scenes of devastation, with families searching through rubble and emergency personnel rushing to rescue trapped individuals.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of National Defense condemned the strikes, saying they constitute a violation of Afghan sovereignty and have caused significant civilian harm.
Officials reiterated that Afghan territory must not be used for attacks against other countries and called for restraint and dialogue to prevent further escalation.
The strikes come amid ongoing tensions along the disputed Durand Line between Afghanistan and Pakistan, where security concerns and accusations of militancy have frequently strained relations between Kabul and Islamabad. Analysts note that repeated civilian casualties risk further inflaming regional tensions and complicating diplomatic efforts to reduce violence along the frontier.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has estimated that around 20,000 to 23,000 fighters from various international terrorist groups are present in Afghanistan, contributing to ongoing security and political challenges in the country.
The ministry noted that over half of these fighters are foreign nationals.
Among the larger groups, Daesh is believed to number around 3,000, the Tehreek‑e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) 5,000–7,000, and al Qaeda 400–1,500.
Smaller groups reportedly include the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU/Turkestan Islamic Party), and Jamaat Ansarullah.
According to the ministry, Daesh remains the only group actively hostile toward the Afghan authorities, though it reportedly lacks the capacity to seize territory, focusing instead on undermining public confidence.
Afghan security efforts over the past 18 months are credited with significantly reducing attacks attributed to Daesh.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has consistently maintained that it will not allow Afghan soil to be used against any other country and continues to deny the presence of armed groups operating freely within the country.
Afghanistan’s acting representative to the United Nations has formally raised concerns at the UN Security Council following overnight airstrikes this week it says were carried out by Pakistan inside Afghan territory.
Nasir Ahmad Faiq, acting chargé d’affaires of Afghanistan’s mission to the UN, announced on Monday that a formal complaint had been submitted regarding the strikes, which reportedly resulted in civilian casualties.
In a statement posted on X, Faiq called for “the immediate cessation of such actions, a thorough and impartial review, full respect for Afghanistan’s territorial integrity, and strict adherence to the Charter of the United Nations and international law.”
According to Afghan officials, the strikes took place late Saturday night in eastern Nangarhar and south-eastern Paktika provinces.
Authorities say dozens of civilians, including women and children, were killed or wounded when residential areas were hit.
Islamabad has previously maintained that it reserves the right to act against militant groups it says operate near or along the disputed Durand Line. Afghan officials, however, have consistently rejected allegations that Afghan territory is being used to launch attacks against Pakistan.
The latest incident comes amid heightened tensions between Kabul and Islamabad over security concerns and cross-Durand Line militancy, further complicating already fragile bilateral relations.
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