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IEA marks Press Freedom Day, says it supports the media

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Marking World Press Freedom Day on Wednesday, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) said it supports the media and said the day was an auspicious one for the media.

“The media can enlighten the public mind in the light of national interests and Islamic principles and mediate between the people and the system,” said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) deputy spokesman Bilal Karimi.

He also called on all media outlets for “more commitment and good performance in the media field.”

The UN meanwhile said on Wednesday that Afghanistan’s media hangs “in the balance”.

According to a statement issued by the UN, the organization was concerned about the future of the media in the country. The UN said “journalists forced to work in climate of intimidation and fear amid increased restrictions by the Taliban (IEA) de facto authorities.”

The UN in Afghanistan said since August 2021, large numbers of media professionals have fled Afghanistan, that large numbers of media outlets have closed, “and female journalists have been disproportionately affected with additional restrictions effectively rendering them almost unable to do their job.”

UNAMA also said it had documents numerous instances of human rights violations against journalists and media workers over the past 18 months.

The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, said World Press Freedom Day was a moment to show solidarity with the Afghan journalists still attempting to maintain independent reporting in the country.

“Journalists are being forced to make editorial decisions based on fear, not public interest. It’s sadly part of a wider trend of declining freedom of expression and access to information,” Otunbayeva said.

This year’s celebration takes place under the theme “Shaping a Future of Rights: Freedom of expression as a driver for all other human rights”, as the right to freedom of expression, enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is a prerequisite and a driver for a flourishing society and the enjoyment of all other human rights.

Meanwhile, Ministry of Information and Culture officials said at a World Press Freedom Day event in Kabul that the Islamic Emirate is committed to supporting the media and that efforts are being made to deal with the problems faced by the media and journalists.

At the same time, officials of the National Union of Free Journalists of Afghanistan say that in the past year, 123 cases of violence against journalists have been registered by security officials.

Officials of the Ministry of Information and Culture say that the Media Violation Commission is up-and-running but that efforts are being made to strengthen its capacity.

May 3 is marked globally as World Press Freedom Day, which was inaugurated by UNESCO in 1993.

In the past year and a half, about 225 media outlets have closed down and of 12,000 media workers in the country, over 1,000 have left Afghanistan, over 7,000 have lost their jobs, of which 2,800 were women.

Currently there are only about 500 women still working in the media industry in the country.

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UNAMA chief visits northern Afghanistan, meets local officials including women

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Roza Otunbayeva, Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), recently visited the city of Maimana in northern Afghanistan, where she met with local officials, entrepreneurs, and UN staff.

UNAMA wrote on its Facebook page on Sunday, that during the visit, entrepreneurs — including women — met with Otunbayeva, and requested support to facilitate access to new markets, particularly in Uzbekistan.

UNAMA further stated that among these entrepreneurs was a group of women who, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), had established a tailoring workshop.

They expressed their appreciation for the support received and spoke about the significant growth and development of their business.

UNAMA added that the organization remains committed to promoting economic opportunities and empowering Afghan communities, especially women.

 

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Senior Indian official meets with FM Muttaqi in Kabul

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Anand Prakash, head of the Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan Division of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, met with Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul for talks on various issues.

According to a press release issued Sunday by the Afghan Foreign Ministry, bilateral political relations, trade, transit and recent political developments in the region were discussed in the meeting.

Muttaqi stressed the need for the expansion of diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries and explained that Afghanistan currently offers favorable opportunities for investment. He said Indian investors should take advantage of these opportunities.

He also said that facilities should be created for the movement of people between Afghanistan and India and the issuance of visas for medical purposes, students and businessmen should return to normal.

Meanwhile, Prakash said that relations with Afghanistan are important for India and he hopes that these relations will expand further in various fields.

He stressed that India will continue its cooperation with Afghanistan and wants to invest in some infrastructure projects and restart projects that were paused for some time.

The two sides also emphasized the expansion of relations, the exchange of delegations, visa facilitation and bilateral cooperation.

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Afghanistan ‘fully ready’ for Trans-Afghan railway project: Muttaqi

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Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has said in a phone call with his Uzbek counterpart that Afghanistan is fully prepared for the implementation of the Trans-Afghan railway project.

During the call, the two sides discussed strengthening bilateral and multilateral relations, as well as expanding political, economic and transit cooperation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul said in a statement on Sunday.

Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov noted that Afghanistan’s exports to Uzbekistan have tripled in the first four months of 2025 compared to last year. He vowed to create more facilities in the field of trade and transit between the two countries, especially in issuing visas to Afghan citizens.

Meanwhile, Amir Khan Muttaqi said that Afghanistan is fully prepared for the implementation of major economic projects such as the Trans-Afghan railway project and for the strengthening of political, trade and transit cooperation with Uzbekistan. He said that the existing opportunities should be utilized for the mutual benefit of the two countries.

The two sides also discussed the holding of a trilateral meeting between Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan at the level of foreign ministers and agreed to coordinate through diplomatic channels to determine the exact date and place of the meeting.

The three neighboring countries signed an agreement in February 2021 to construct a 573-kilometer railway line through Afghanistan, connecting landlocked Central Asia to Pakistan seaports, with an estimated cost of $4.8 billion to enhance regional economic connectivity.

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with Uzbek foreign minister last Thursday to discuss the Trans-Afghan railway project.

Dar expressed hope that the three countries would soon sign a framework agreement on this important regional project.

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