Cable TV Ban Angers Afghans

Battle lines are being drawn in what could be a major confrontation between reformers and conservatives in Afghanistan’s transitional government over the question of cable television, and the wider issue of media freedom.

Towards the end of January, the supreme court imposed a nationwide ban on cable television in response to an appeal against the silencing last month of a private station in Jalalabad, in the east of the country.

Chief Justice Mawlawi Fazel Hadi Shinwari said religious leaders and groups had complained that the channels were broadcasting pornographic and anti-Islamic films.

He followed this up a day later by calling for a total ban on foreign television and films - including satellite broadcasts and imported video films and CDs - a move that echoed the five-year rule of the hard line Taleban, under which all music, dancing, films and the sale of television sets were banned.

That situation was reversed by President Hamed Karzai, who promised freedom of speech and media, prompting a rush for satellite dishes. In addition, business is booming in Kabul’s cinemas as young Afghans - almost exclusively male - flock to watch mainly Indian films packed with action, dancing and music - and often featuring scantily-clad women.

A spokesman for Karzai told IWPR, “I can’t comment on whether or not the President agreed with the supreme court.”

In addition to the cinema boom, pirated CDs of the latest Bollywood productions and many western films can be bought openly for as little as one US dollar each on the streets of Kabul. There have however been recent reports of some shops being ordered to close, and of a few isolated attacks against them in the provinces.

Shinwari, who earlier provoked controversy by urging a halt to co-education - a move that would require a major overhaul of the country’s university system - also attacked what he called the “imposition” of western influence on Afghanistan, which is heavily reliant on foreign assistance after more than two decades of war.

Information and culture minister Makhdoom Raheen responded quickly by promising that a new law would be introduced within days to allow cable broadcasters to operate provided they were registered, paid taxes to the government and adhered to a code of self-censorship - on which there were no details.

Raheen’s deputy Abdul Hamid Mubarez told IWPR a few days later, “We are completely opposed to this ruling by the supreme court.”

“We have drawn up a law on cable television at meetings attended by a representative of the justice ministry, and the bill has been sent there. After it is approved by the cabinet and signed by President Karzai it will be published in the media, and everyone will be able to have cable TV.

“Cable and satellite companies broadcast both negative and positive programmes. We should take advantage of the positive ones,” he added.

It was not clear if there would be any restrictions on broadcasts, and what form these might take.

Zalmai, who helps run the now-banned cable channel based in Jalalabad, told IWPR, “A ban such as this is an attack on the independent media, and such decisions run counter to the democratic rule.”

“We were operating our station legally, with letters of authorisation from a commission appointed by the Ministry of Information and Culture. We put together our transmissions in such a way that people cannot watch anything immoral, we only carry entertainment and informative programmes. If cable TV is banned the government will have to repay us all the money we have invested in this business.”

Another cable operator in Kabul, Abdul Sami Sameeiat, said they had also received authorisation from the same commission following the collapse of the Taleban to run their station, and had been paying tax regularly to the government.

“The only thing we didn’t agree on immediately was the tax rate – they demanded 30 per cent of profits, but we finally agreed on half that amount. We charge our customers 1,000 afghanis (22 dollars) up front and then 200 afghanis a month.”

The deputy president of the supreme court, Fazl Ahmad Manawi, defended its action. He told IWPR that the move had been supported by Karzai, confirmed that it should be extended to satellite broadcasts, and claimed that the cable operators had no authorisation to run their business. He also said the decision was taken at the request of the public.

On the importing of foreign films he took a slightly softer line, saying they should be submitted to censorship by the information and culture ministry before they could be shown.

“Cable TV and satellite transmissions should be completely banned. Our countrymen should realise that they are destroying their morals because fornication and obscene acts are shown on them,” Manawi said.

“They have been banned with the understanding and agreement of President Karzai because they are immoral and opposed to the rules of Islam. We declared the ban on the basis of requests from the people.”

This last statement was challenged by Haji Noor Ali, who represents 30 families in a block of apartments in the Macroyan area of Kabul, and argued that anyone who wanted to watch “immoral” films could still buy them on CD.

“The programmes are popular, and inform people on what is going on in the world. I know that all 30 families living in Block 113 want to watch cable TV, and none of them have complained,” he said.

Kanishka, a student at Kabul university, told IWPR, “If the government is doing things like this, the situation can only get worse. Today cable is banned, tomorrow television, the next day radio music. There would be no difference between our government and the Taleban.”

Mohammad Nasim Shafaq is a freelance journalist in Kabul.