Ministry of Information and Culture is reportedly going to hand over a plan to the Afghan cabinet today which is prepared to limit media activities in Afghanistan.
The draft of this plan was developed by Ministry of Information and Culture after last cabinet meeting where Mr. Karzai considered the programs of some media channels against the national interests of Afghanistan and ordered the Ministry of Information and Culture to strictly encounter them.
Rafi Ferdaus a spokesperson for President Office said on Wednesday last week that Ministry of Information and Culture has prepared and sent such a plan to the President Office to be discussed in next Cabinet meeting.
In an interview with BBC last Wednesday Ferdaus said that media activists, Journalists’ Organizations and civil society institutions are going to be asked about their opinions for this plan.
But bassed on recent reports the plan, without any opinion poll or any revealed details, has been sent to president office.
Mr. Moeen Merastial member of “Haq Wa Adalat” party has said to Journalists: “unofficial reports are disclosing that this plan is going to be discussed in cabinet meeting today.”
Media activists think that recent efforts of Government, specially Ministry of Information and Culture, are aiming to limit free media and freedom of speech. They believe these efforts will have negative effect on mass media in Afghanistan.
Mr. Sayad Mohammad Ali Rezwany spokesman of National Union of Afghanistan Journalists said: “the provision of this plan is beginning of a new process where the Government is trying to take advantage of every possibility to put pressure on media and restrict freedom of speech in the country.”
Mr. Razwany adds that as the Minister of Information and Culture has done nothing positive for media law during last two years, it’s better for him that at least he should not be the pioneers of restricting the media and suppressing the freedom of speech in the country.
