Officials from Radio Kawoon Ghag in eastern Afghanistan confirm that the Taliban have shut down the station and dismissed its staff. On the evening of July 8, Enqelabi Yousafzai, the head of Radio Kawoon Ghag, told Tarz Press that the Taliban's local administration in Laghman province halted the station's broadcasts and closed its premises, citing the state ownership of the radio's property as the reason. Mr. Yousafzai described Radio Kawoon Ghag as a private entity, noting that it had been operational for 16 years with personal investment amounting to at least 3 million Afghanis.
According to Yousafzai, "Kawoon Ghag is not a state-owned media but a private one, and there are no legal issues. If there were any issues, they should have been resolved by the Media Violations Commission. Our radio was shut down merely with one letter, and if the issue was the land ownership, it should have been addressed through the Media Monitoring Commission."
Yousafzai mentioned that all the equipment for the radio station was purchased by Internews, and a piece of land was granted to the radio based on an agreement. However, the head of Information and Culture in Laghman claims that Radio Kawoon Ghag is state property.
Abdulnoor Rasooli, the Taliban's head of Information and Culture in Laghman, told Tarz Press that the radio station began operating at least twenty years ago with the assistance of an American team and Internews, but its license expired in 2019. Mr. Rasooli acknowledged that Radio Kawoon Ghag was shut down by a joint committee comprising the National Security Directorate, the Information and Culture Directorate, and the provincial administration.
He said, "The license of this radio is under the name of the Laghman Cultural and Scientific Society, which was renewed in 2016 and expired in 2019. The land for this radio is state property and belongs to the public treasury."
Meanwhile, media support organizations hope that the misunderstanding between Radio Kawoon Ghag officials and the local administration in Laghman will be resolved, allowing the station to resume its broadcasts. Mirwais Khwakhuzai, the head of the Journalists' Safety Committee in Laghman, told Tarz Press, "We hope this issue will be resolved and Kawoon Ghag will resume its broadcasts. It doesn't matter under what name, the important thing is that media outlets should not be shut down."
Radio Kawoon Ghag began broadcasting in 2005 in Laghman province and has been operating on the 89.4 FM frequency for nearly 20 years.
