Sunday, August 24, 2014
Kabul (BNA) A spokesperson to President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Aimal Faizi in a news conference yesterday defended Afghanistan government’s decision related to expulsion of New York Times journalist from Afghanistan.
“Afghanistan has had active and free media for more than a decade and the country’s government is honored for such great achievement,” Faizi said.
He also added Afghanistan government had continuously supported domestic and international media’s operations in Afghanistan.
Related to expulsion of a New York Times journalist, Faizi said, “It’s not the first time that New York Times has interfered in internal political affairs of Afghanistan for its goals and political agenda, adding any reports released in the paper in connection with Afghanistan election in the past few months were a threat against constitution, national security and the country’s stability.”
Spokesperson to the President asserted that the country’s President had shared issue of the paper’s article with two presidential candidates in a session held with participation of national security advisor and security sector ministers. In the session, both candidates asked for seriously investigation of the issue.
He stressed that such partially reports with ambiguous sources had been only forge for particular political aims and nothing else.
“Nearly hinting 17 times to unidentified sources in a news report can put seriously the NYTs’ trust under question,” Faizi added.
Faizi further said previously we had tried to let journalists of NYT to know the issue’s sensitivity, but unfortunately the issue was ignored, adding such interferences in internal affairs of Afghanistan is not tolerated.
He asserted that decision of expulsion of the NYT’s journalist from Afghanistan was definitely not an attack on freedom of media in the country. Nevertheless, it a step for stopping discrimination in NYT’s reporting policy.
