Taliban Urges Media to Highlight Government ‘Achievements’

DID Press: A senior Taliban official has instructed Afghan media outlets to produce and broadcast content highlighting what the group describes as the achievements of its five years in power, while also calling for expanded coverage of what he characterized as the Pakistani military’s actions against Afghans.

According to Mohajer Farahi, media organizations should prepare special programming on the Taliban’s “five years of achievements” and the “20-year occupation of Afghanistan” alongside coverage marking the anniversary of the group’s return to power.

Speaking at a meeting with media representatives in Kabul, Farahi said such programming would help inform both the Afghan public and the international community. He also urged news organizations to give broad coverage to what he described as the Pakistani military’s “wrongful actions” against the Afghan people.

The remarks come amid continued criticism from media freedom advocates, who say the Taliban has imposed extensive restrictions on independent journalism since returning to power in 2021. Press freedom organizations have repeatedly raised concerns over editorial directives, censorship, the detention of journalists and pressure on media outlets to publish content aligned with the authorities’ policies.

The Taliban marks 15 August each year as the anniversary of its takeover of Afghanistan following the collapse of the previous government in 2021. The group says it has strengthened security and advanced reconstruction efforts, while critics dispute those claims, pointing to widespread poverty, severe restrictions on civil liberties—particularly the rights of women and girls—and continued security challenges.