Nai Supporting Open Media in Afghanistan on Sunday strongly condemned the recent speech made by the representative of northern Parwan province Abdul Satar Khawasi in the Lower House of the Afghan Parliament. In his speech Khawasi announced 'Jihad' against a number of media outlets.
Khawasi said that several media organisations are acting irresponsibly and work only for the foreigner's interests.
On the contrary, Nai officials said that Jihad is a holy duty and should not be used as a means to achieve personal goals.
Nai taking a stance against Khawasi said that circles inside the Parliament and government are trying to attack the media and curtail its freedom.
"Announcing Jihad against the media is an insult to one of country's most important sector," Seddiqullah Tauhidi, Media Watch Manager said.
The comments came in after the Afghan Minister of Information and Culture Sayed Makhdoom Raheen was summoned by the Lower House of the Afghan Parliament on Saturday to be questioned about the numerous violations done by the media organisations and journalists.
A number of MPs said that the media has played a major role in terms of informing and reforming the country and all media organisations should not be accused of breaking the law.
While MP Abdul Satar Khawasi announced 'Fatwa of Jihad' against the media, several other MPs raised their voice against it and called it illegal.
Talking about the Jihad against media, MP Baktash Siawash said, "If you (Khawasi) want to announce Jihad against the media then you must move out of the Parliament. And, you are announcing Jihad when most of your income comes from foreign sources. You should stop confusing the public. If you want to announce Jihad like Mullah Omar, no one would stop you."
In support of his announcement, Abdul Satar Khawasi said, "I didn't declare Jihad against the government and the system, but against the irresponsible media that is working for the foreigner's interests and ignoring the welfare of Afghans. Once again I say that Jihad is permissible against them."
The issue received a mixed response from several MPs as they had different views regarding the country's media.
However, certain circles inside the government were accused of trying to limit the work of independent media.
"Jihad can be declared only by a Mufti and not by any MP. In the past, several baseless talks happened in which the media outlets were accused of misusing their freedom. All this clearly indicates that President Karzai and his government want to censor the media," Tauhidi said.
Meanwhile, several Senators also criticized MP Abdul Satar Khawasi's recent speech.
"Declaring Jihad against the press is an irresponsible act and we should now allow such speeches during an official session of the Parliament," Senator Nisar Haris said.
At the same time, Nai emphasised on approving the Media Law as soon as possible and urged the government to take steps and prevent such speeches from being made in the future. According to Nai, using such words as a tool for personal gains will make the people lose faith on media.