The Taliban have banned the BBC from broadcasting the news in three major languages in Afghanistan, the British News Network reported.
Its representative Taliban administration to the Ministry of Culture and Information did not respond to a request for comment.
“The BBC news broadcasts in salt, Persian and Uzbek went off the air in Afghanistan after the Taliban instructed our television partners to remove international networks from television frequencies,” Tariq al-Kafala, the BBC Service, in yesterday’s announcement.
“It’s a worrying development in a time of uncertainty and turmoil for the people of Afghanistan,” Kafala said, calling for the ban to be lifted.
More than six million Afghans watch the BBC news every week and it is important that they are not denied access to it, he added.
Ever since The Taliban came to power In August, many rights groups and journalists voiced concerns about the prospects for free speech in Afghanistan. The United Nations has criticized the arrest of many journalists.
The Taliban say they will not retaliate against dissidents and will allow everyone to exercise their rights in accordance with Islamic law and Afghan culture.
The United Nations Mission in Afghanistan has condemned the removal of the BBC News.
“Another creepy development; another oppressive step against the people of Afghanistan,” the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in a Twitter post.
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