The Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture has honoured several political analysts in Kabul for their media work during the group’s recent border conflict with Pakistan.
In a ceremony held at the ministry, officials praised the analysts for what they described as their “support of the system” during the clashes. The event was attended by Sher Ahmad Haqqani, the minister of information and culture; Mohajer Farahi, deputy minister for broadcasting; Mohammad Younis Rashid, deputy minister for youth; and a number of ministry officials and cultural figures.
In a statement released Wednesday, the ministry said dozens of political commentators were recognised for “fulfilling their national and Islamic duty” in defending the Taliban’s position. During the conflict, the honoured analysts publicly endorsed the group’s military response and echoed its stance in the media.
Haqqani said that during the fighting with Pakistan, “the people defended the system with unity and solidarity,” adding that the world witnessed “Afghanistan will allow no one to violate its sovereignty.”
The ministry quoted pro-Taliban analysts as declaring that “defending every inch of the country’s territory is our Islamic and national duty.” They claimed Taliban forces “responded to aggression with courage, in a way unprecedented in the nation’s history.”
During the border clashes, the Taliban tightened censorship of domestic media and suspended broadcasts of Shamshad Radio and Television in Kabul. The group has also prohibited independent experts or opposition figures from appearing on outlets operating under its control.
Rights groups and journalists have repeatedly accused the Taliban of suppressing dissent and restricting press freedom. Over the past four years, several commentators, reporters, and activists have been detained or imprisoned for criticising the administration.
Earlier, the Ministry of Information and Culture issued a list of approved analysts permitted to appear in political programmes, requiring media outlets to book only those individuals.
In its statement, the ministry insisted that “media outlets that uphold Islamic and Afghan values enjoy full freedom of operation,” adding that the Taliban government “supports such media.”
