Bomb blast hits bus carrying govt officials in Kabul; 8 injured - Details inside

Kabul: According to media reports, eight people were injured in a blast that shook Afghanistan's capital city of Kabul on Wednesday. According to the Kabul security department's spokesperson, eight people were injured in a blast that targeted a vehicle carrying employees of the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, according to TOLO news. During the morning rush hour, the blast targeted a minibus carrying Taliban employees in front of a government building in Police District 5."I was near the area when a really loud explosion was heard, and many people were injured. The explosion happened next to a bus," TOLO cited a local resident. According to media reports, police have cordoned off the area and prohibited people, including journalists, from entering the blast site. No one has claimed responsibility for the explosion so far.

Afghanistan’s Media shaken by Taliban

The disruptions of 2021 - the Taliban's takeover of the war-ravaged country - shook Afghanistan's mainstream media, which had only recently begun to recover. According to an Afghan Diaspora Network report, a survey conducted by Reporters Without Borders and the Afghan Independent Journalist Association in December 2021 revealed the closure of more than 200 media outlets, resulting in the layoff of approximately 6,400 journalists following the regime change. For the past two decades, the transfer of power from a Western-backed government to the Taliban has resulted in many changes in the way institutions operate. Several media personalities who were not used to working within the framework of the Taliban regime relocated to neighbouring or western countries, according to the Afghan Diaspora Network.

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Though it remains to be seen what the future holds for the country's popular media, the upheaval has undoubtedly distressed it in the short term. While the majority of the media is attempting to adjust to the new environment, the turmoil has presented an opportunity for Pakistan, according to the Afghan Diaspora Network. Drawing criticism from all sides for sowing discord and interfering in Afghan governance, Islamabad has now resorted to manipulating Afghan media to improve its public image, according to the Afghan Diaspora Network. According to some Afghan journalists, the efforts are part of a well-coordinated strategy aimed at filling the country's media void with favourable coverage of Pakistan.

Taliban’s further plan

Though common Afghan journalists working on the ground are not aware of the full plan, they suspect it to be backed by Pakistani agencies. Afghan journalists facing distress are being roped in for positive coverage about Pakistan and its possible role in rebuilding Afghanistan reported the Afghan Diaspora Network. Fully funded training courses are being offered to Afghan media persons with a special focus on female journalists. Some local media houses are said to have been contacted with offers of monetary assistance. A few of them facing financial duress are vulnerable to this strategy. Pakistani private media companies are also being encouraged to set up their outlets in Kabul to counter any negative perception about the Pakistani government/Army

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Separately, Islamabad is stepping up engagement with local Afghan NGOs/civil society and efforts are being made to rope in some foreign media houses, and western outlets focused on the Af-Pak region are being approached for establishing offices in Islamabad for better coordination. However, its intention of gaining a strategic foothold artificially through media may not be effective given the public distrust of it. With the emergence of social media, the public consumption of news and narrative has witnessed a definitive shift over the past few years, reported the Afghan Diaspora Network.