Afghanistan's media watchdog Nai on Thursday slammed limitations on local media and violence against journalists saying that both were on the increase.
"Government efforts are continuing to limit the activities of the local media in the country, and we have witnessed an increase in the violence against journalists in the recent months," Nai director Sediqullah Tawhidi said at a press conference in Kabul.
His comment comes on the back of a government officials banning a local radio station in Qalat city, the capital of southern Zabul province, from broadcasting after it reported a local protest.
The media watchdog criticised the action and blamed the government for not paying more heed to complaints from the local media.
"The broadcast of this radio was banned by the provincial officials and their personnel were detained because they didn't broadcast a report that was favorable to the local officials," he said, adding that it was an illegal action.
According to statistics from Nai, several journalists have faced violence or extreme pressure from local officials in the Daikundi, Takhar, Helmand, Nangarhar and Zabul provinces.