Radio Sadai-e-Banowan, a local women-run radio station, resumed broadcasting in the northeastern Badakhshan province on Thursday after it was temporarily shut down by the Taliban’s Department of Information and Culture on March 30.
The Taliban had accused the radio station of violating the group’s broadcasting policy by playing music during the month of Ramadan and allowing men to participate in activities meant for women.
However, the Station Executive Director, Najia Soroush, claimed that the broadcasting was halted due to the mistake of one of its employees.
Muezuddin Ahmadi, the Taliban’s Director of Information and Culture in Badakhshan, stated that the station’s broadcast was stopped due to non-compliance with the Taliban’s broadcasting policy.
Head of the media has now pledged to follow the group’s broadcasting policy, he added.
Despite facing many challenges over the past year, the women-run radio station continued its operation with female employees recording programs at their homes, following the Taliban restrictions on media and journalism.
Amid the economic challenges and the restrictions imposed by the Taliban, nearly half of the media in Afghanistan have been closed. Those active outlets in Afghanistan are operating under strict Taliban rules and face oppressive pressure to abide by the group’s restrictions.
