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Taliban suspends BBC FM broadcasts across Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s Taliban administration suspended BBC programmes on FM transmitters, citing repeated violations without specifying them. The broadcaster is seeking a resolution and says shortwave, medium-wave, satellite and online services continue. The decision interrupts one route to news and educational programming in a country where access to other channels faces practical constraints.

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A head-covered teenage girl turns a portable radio knob beside closed study books in a modest home.

FM transmission is suspended

Afghanistan’s Taliban administration has suspended BBC radio programmes on FM transmitters in the country. The BBC says it is speaking with the authorities to resolve the interruption. BBC Persian also reported that its programmes were no longer being carried on FM. Shortwave and medium-wave broadcasts remain available, so the suspension concerns one means of receiving the broadcaster’s output.[1], [2]

Information and Culture Ministry spokesman Khubaib Ghufran cited repeated violations as the reason for the decision. He did not specify what those violations were and described the suspension as applying for the time being. No precise date for restoring transmission was announced. The stated justification is the Taliban administration’s account; the BBC has not acknowledged the alleged violations. Alongside shortwave and medium wave, the broadcaster says its output in Pashto, Dari and English continues through satellite and online channels while it seeks an agreement over FM transmission.[1]

News and education programmes lose one route to listeners

The BBC says its news and other programmes reach more than 20 percent of Afghanistan’s adult population each week. That is its own overall audience estimate, rather than a count of people affected specifically by the FM suspension. Its Afghan service has operated since 1981. Programmes include educational material for girls barred from secondary school. The interrupted transmission is part of a service delivered in several languages and through several channels. No measured total has been published of listeners who lost all access following the new decision.[1]

Alternative access faces practical limits

The BBC describes itself as the only international news organisation broadcasting inside Afghanistan after two US outlets were banned in 2022. The Taliban government has kept tight controls over the media since returning to power in 2021. Restrictions also include music and women appearing alongside men. Some social media services remain available, but electricity shortages, access costs and low literacy constrain alternatives to radio. The BBC continues its other distribution channels while discussing the FM interruption with the authorities. A timetable for restoring that local transmission has not been announced.[1]

References

  1. News sourceBBCTaliban suspends BBC FM broadcasts in Afghanistan↩1↩2↩3↩4
  2. News sourceAtlasPress News AgencyTaliban suspends BBC Persian FM broadcasts in Afghanistan↩
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