‘Watandar Radio airing unethical programmes’

JALALABAD (Pajhwok): Some residents and officials on Wednesday accused a local radio “Watandar” of broadcasting “unethical programmes” which they said had harmful impacts on the youth in eastern Nangarhar province.

Haji Rassoul Jan, a resident of Jalalabad city, said callers to the radio, especially young girls and boys, sang songs and exchanged love words with each other.

He told Pajhwok Afghan News such programmes could not be listened to, as many times the broadcasts bridged the gap between girls and boys.

Writer and poet, Sahar Gul Amirzai, said he felt ashamed when he listened to the programmes of Watandar Radio, adding the information and culture department was duty-bound to take practical steps to put things on right track.

 “When you listen to this radio you will be astonished whether this is Afghanistan or the West where young girls and boys openly express love,” he said.

A religious scholar, Maulvi Himmat, said the radio channel had ignored airing social programmes and instead focused on unethical stuff.

Prof. Sayed Samiullah Sayedi, a lecturer at the Journalism Faculty of Nangarhar University, said the radio programmes disregarded journalistic principles and created negative tendencies among the youth.

 “Unfortunately some media outlets only focus on useless things that destroy cultural and Islamic values of our country and society,” he said. The issue has already been brought into the notice of the information and culture department.

The information and culture department director, Aurang Samim, also acknowledged receiving complaints in this connection.

He said steps had been taken to ameliorate the situation and address genuine grievances of locals in connection with the radio programmes.

mm/rm/ma

Visits: 6