Taliban have allowed Rah-e-Farda TV, a private broadcaster that was taken off the air earlier this year, to resume operations under a new license and revised ownership structure, according to a document and sources familiar with the matter.
Rah-e-Farda confirmed in a statement posted on its Facebook page that it had resumed broadcasting under a new license and in high-definition format. The broadcaster said its regular programming would remain suspended until the 13th day of Muharram, with current coverage focused primarily on religious commemorations.
A document from the Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture, reviewed by Amu, shows that the broadcaster received authorization to resume operations after changes were made to its ownership and management.
According to the document, Mohammad Mohaqiq, leader of the People’s Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan and a senior member of the opposition Supreme Council of Resistance for the Salvation of Afghanistan, is no longer listed as the station’s license holder.
The new license identifies Salman Akhlaqi as the owner and Abdul Rahman Mirzad as the station’s managing director.
The development follows the suspension of Rah-e-Farda’s broadcasts by Taliban intelligence in March. At the time, sources told Amu that the move came after Mohaqiq publicly criticized the Taliban’s handling of tensions with Pakistan.
Sources also said Taliban took control of two properties belonging to Mohaqiq in Kabul’s Sarkariz area around the same time the station was shut down.
Taliban have not publicly commented on the broadcaster’s return to the air or the reasons for the ownership changes.
The resumption of Rah-e-Farda’s broadcasts comes amid continued restrictions on Afghanistan’s media sector. Since returning to power in 2021, Taliban have imposed extensive regulations on news organizations, journalists and broadcasters, leading to the closure of dozens of media outlets and prompting many journalists to leave the country.
Media watchdogs, including Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists, have repeatedly warned that pressure on independent media has intensified under Taliban rule, with journalists facing detention, censorship and restrictions on reporting.
