THREE WOMEN JOURNALIST KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN’The Bloody Tally Of Unfortunate Deaths Grows Longer’
Three media workers were killed in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.
In a series of targeted killings of people working for media this horrifying incendent happened in the city of Jalalabad – a capital of province. The Islamic State (IS) have claimed these attacks.
Though the Afghan government and local police have attributed these murders to the Taliban. The police also arrested a person regarding this case but the Taliban have outrightly rejected the responsibilty of this.The victims were Mursal Hakimi 25, Sadis 20, Shahnaz 20. These women were empoyed by the dubbind department of Enikass radio and TV. They used to dub the Indian and Turkish dramas in Pashto and local languages.
They were returning home from the office and they were shot dead in two different attacks on Tuesday according to government officials.The attacks happened amidst the wave of killings targeting journalists, civil society workers and mid level government employees in Afghanistan in past few months. According to an UN report Afghanistan is considered a dangerous land for journalist to work in. Nearly 30 journalists have been killed in a series of targetted killings since 2018, said the report.
The head of Afghan media advocacy group Mujib Khalwatgar said , “These killings could fear the whole journalistic community and it could pave way for self censorship and even it can make the media activist leave the country of Afghanistan.”
The Afghan Independent Human Rights commission head Shaharzad Akbad described these attacks as “horrific”.” Afghan women have been targeted and killed too often…
They must stop killing civilians and destroying ( Afhanistan’s) Future”, she tweeted. Malalai Maiwand a television and radio presenter working for Enikass was also killed with her driver in December 2020. The safety for journalist workiing in Afghanistan has deterioted day by day.The Taliban and Afghan government are undergoing peace talks in Doha but the progress talks has been slowed down because the change of administration in the White House.
While America is reviewing the policy towards Afghanistan incidents like these could hamper the process of peace talks. Though Afghan government is trying to link these attacksbto the Taliban but the Taliban has firmly rejected their hand in these killings more often.
