The Taliban have banned BBC television news in three main languages of Afghanistan from getting broadcasted in the country, reported Reuters.
In a statement, Tarik Kafala, Head of languages at BBC World Service on Sunday said that “the BBC’s TV news bulletins in Pashto, Persian and Uzbek have been taken off air in Afghanistan after the Taliban ordered our TV partners to remove international broadcasters from the airwaves”.
“This is a worrying development at a time of uncertainty and turbulence for the people of Afghanistan,” he said and called for the removal of the ban on broadcasting, the report said.
He further added that more than six million Afghans consume the BBC’s news every week and they cannot be denied access to it.
Since the Taliban took over, many rights groups and journalists have raised concerns about prospects for freedom of speech in Afghanistan. The United Nations had criticised the arrest of several journalists.
The Taliban say they will not seek reprisals against those they disagree with and they will allow everyone their rights by Islamic law and Afghan culture. They have said any specific incidents of abuse will be investigated, it said.
Meanwhile, the UN mission in Afghanistan had condemned the ban on the BBC bulletins.
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