Radio Free Europe is noting the first anniversary of its service airing Pashto-language broadcasts in Pakistan.
The target area for Radio Mashaal is Pashtun tribal regions; the content airs nine hours a day via AM (sharing a frequency with VOA’s Radio Deewa), as well as shortwave, satellite and Internet. Staff is in Prague and Islamabad.
Radio Mashaal Director Amanullah Ghilzai said in the announcement, “Our listeners are desperate for reliable news. Last month, the Committee to Protect Journalists called Pakistan ‘the world’s deadliest place for journalists.’ And Reporters Without Borders calls the Swat Valley ‘the valley of fear.’”
RFE has posted anecdotes about the kind of news and programming it has carried.
