Taliban officials on Monday launched a weeks-long media campaign to showcase what they described as their administration’s achievements over the past year, while urging news agencies to play a greater role in promoting those accomplishments.
The initiative, titled “Government in the Mirror of the Press,” opened at the Afghanistan Media Center in Kabul and brought together Taliban officials, journalists and media representatives. Organizers said ministries and government agencies will present reports on their work over the coming weeks.
Shir Ahmad Haqqani, the Taliban’s minister of Information and Culture, called on media outlets to report what he described as “the government’s achievements” and said journalists had both a national and Islamic responsibility to report accurately.
“Our request to the media is to report based on reality and responsibility,” Haqqani said. “They have a responsibility to convey the truth to the people, as well as national and Islamic responsibilities.”
Naeem-ul-Haq Haqqani, head of the Afghanistan Media Center, urged media organizations to continue supporting coverage of the Taliban’s achievements.
“We expect all respected media outlets, as they have done before, to make every effort to cover the achievements of the Islamic Emirate,” he said.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the campaign was intended to better inform the public and counter what he described as negative propaganda.
“Reports should be analyzed, investigated and discussed,” Mujahid said. “We should strengthen the government’s messaging and give people hope.”
The campaign comes as Afghan journalists continue to operate under sweeping restrictions imposed by the Taliban since they returned to power in 2021.
National and international media watchdogs have documented widespread censorship, broadcast restrictions, limited access to official information, and the detention and abuse of journalists.
Basir Ahmad Daneshyar, a university lecturer, said restricting access to information undermines transparency and weakens public trust.
“If the right of access to information is not guaranteed and journalists cannot report clearly and transparently, it naturally creates major challenges for society,” he said.
Zahir Bahand, a journalist, said the Taliban’s stated commitment to transparency and freedom of expression was inconsistent with their record over the past five years.
“The Taliban’s claims of commitment to transparent information and freedom of expression are contradicted by their performance over the past five years,” he said.
Media advocacy organizations have repeatedly criticized the Taliban’s restrictions on journalists and news organizations, warning that they have systematically weakened access to information and left many Afghans with limited access to independent news.
