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Afghan media worker commits suicide over financial stress
Haroon Niroomand, a media worker from Meshrano Jirga TV of Afghanistan, committed suicide this week due to financial stress, his relatives confirmed on Friday.
His relatives said Niroomand shot himself while his father, Nik Mohammad, said his son had been very worried about money.
“He looked at me, looked at his brother and looked at the house and said ‘how can we fund the expenses of the family?’ Because of this he was desperate.”
Niroomand had studied law and political science and had for the past seven years worked in the media industry – most recently for Meshrano Jirga TV as a technician.
“He was interested in the media and journalism. He wanted to become a famous journalist. When the government changed, he became desperate,” said Abdul Khaliq, the deceased’s brother.
“A big humanitarian catastrophe might happen in the winter, if the government, organizations and international organizations do not act,” said Payanda Mohammad Akbari, a relative of Haroon.
Media support organizations and some journalists meanwhile expressed concerns about the situation in Afghanistan.
“The suicide of Niroomand reveals the deep economic catastrophe that journalists and media in Afghanistan are facing,” said Hajitullah Mujadidi, deputy head of Free Journalists Association.
“Most journalists and media employees had jobs; now they face economic problems and many of them lost their jobs,” said Bais Mohammadi, a journalist.
“Journalists and media employees are jobless now and face an unclear situation. We call on media support organizations to act as soon as possible,” said Navid Kavosh, another journalist.
The cash crisis in the country has hit the media industry extremely hard, resulting in the closure of countless news outlets and across-the-board job losses.
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has emphasized the continuation of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, stating that the ongoing provision of such aid plays an important role in ensuring regional security.
Speaking at the international conference “Peace and Trust” in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, Tokayev described addressing complex humanitarian challenges and the reconstruction of Afghanistan as a necessity.
“To ensure regional security, we consider it essential to continue providing assistance to Afghanistan, including by strengthening international efforts to address complex humanitarian issues and the reconstruction of this country. Kazakhstan remains committed to supporting the people of Afghanistan through humanitarian aid, educational projects, trade development, and food security initiatives,” he said.
Meanwhile, experts believe that sustainable improvement of the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan requires broad cooperation from the international community and support for the country’s economic development.
“Investment can be defined as one of the fundamental drivers of the economic cycle, and whenever Afghan traders do not take their money out of the country and instead invest domestically, it naturally leads to greater growth and dynamism in Afghanistan’s economy,” said Abdul Zahoor Modabber, an economic analyst.
As the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan continues, reports by international relief organizations indicate that millions of citizens of the country are in urgent need of food, health, and livelihood assistance.
The reduction in funding for aid organizations, the impacts of climate change, and the return of migrants have increased concerns about a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the country.
The Islamic Emirate has announced that it will not participate in the upcoming meeting of special envoys of regional countries on Afghanistan, scheduled to be held in Tehran, despite having received an invitation.
In a statement, Zia Ahmad Takal, Head of Information and Public Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the Islamic Emirate has maintained continuous and active engagement with all regional countries through various organizations, regional formats, and bilateral mechanisms, achieving notable progress in promoting mutual understanding and regional cooperation.
The statement added that Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes regional cooperation should be advanced by strengthening existing mechanisms and formats within the region.
Tehran is set to host the meeting next week, with special envoys from Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, China, and Russia expected to attend.
Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani, Minister of Interior of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said during a visit to Khost province on Friday that any government which rules through fear cannot be considered a true government.
“A government is one that is loved by its people, one that serves them with respect and compassion, and from whose behavior people learn ethics and sincerity,” he said.
Haqqani also stressed that Afghans who opposed the Islamic Emirate in the past should be tolerated and treated in a way that helps eliminate hostility and animosity, paving the way for national cohesion.
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