Radio Mashaal & RFERL’s North Macedonia Service to close down on 31st March '26

RFE/RL’s North Macedonia Service (@RSE_Makedonski) and Pashto-language service, Radio Mashaal (@MashaalRadio) will close on March 31, 2026.

RFE/RL President & CEO @SteveCapus :

“The closure of these two services is a loss for the audiences they serve. But RFE/RL’s current budgetary environment compels us to reprioritize how we distribute our resources. This decision was made with a profound appreciation for the work these teams have done, and the standard of excellence they have upheld.”

@RFERL on X

Pakistani authorities orders closure of Radio Mashaal

Pakistan's Interior Ministry on January 19 ordered the closure after Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency accused the private, U.S.-government funded broadcaster of airing programs "against the interest of Pakistan" and "in-line with [a] hostile intelligence agency's agenda."

"The order to close Radio Mashaal is a draconian move by Pakistani authorities and a direct threat to press freedom," said Steven Butler, the Committee to Protect Journalism's Asia program coordinator.

Full story at :

https://www.rferl.org/a/pakistan-orders-closure-rferl-bureau-islamabad/28985164.html

RFE Marks Successful First Year of Broadcasts to Pakistan

January 12,2011 Prague, Czech Republic

This week, RFE's Radio Mashaal marks the first anniversary of the launch of its Pashto-language broadcasts in Pakistan's Pashtun heartland.

"Our listeners are desperate for reliable news," says Radio Mashaal Director Amanullah Ghilzai. "Last month, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called Pakistan 'the world's deadliest place for journalists.' And Reporters Without Borders calls the Swat Valley, 'the valley of fear.'"

On a recent broadcast of one of the stations' most popular call-in shows, "War Stories," a widow from the Swat Valley recounted the story of a 14-hour Taliban attack on her house that killed her husband and son. Another popular Radio Mashaal program is airing a weekly series profiling Pashtun tribal elders who have been killed by the Taliban. The targeting of elders, who form the backbone of Pashtun society in places with little or no government presence, is an underreported tactic the Taliban has been employing for nearly a decade.

Away from the fighting, Radio Mashaal's show, "Your Future," is a program for youths offering advice on schools and careers. Ghilzai calls it "a how-to for young people interested in getting job training, applying for Pakistani schools, or studying abroad."
"Most of our listeners in these parts of Pakistan simply do not have access to such basic information," he says. "That's why we also produce programs dedicated to women's issues and health care."
When the worst flooding in decades devastated large portions of the country last year, Radio Mashaal reported from some of the most inaccessible parts of Pakistan. In the aftermath of the floods, a program called "Hopes" aired 100 special reports on the disaster which provided, among other things, information on where people who lost their homes could turn for help and information about water-born illnesses.

During its first broadcast on January 15, 2010, Radio Mashaal surprised listeners when renowned Pashtun pop star Haroon Bacha emerged from hiding as the host of a new cultural affairs program. Bacha -- a Pashtun entertainment icon -- was forced to flee the region three years ago when Islamic extremists threatened him and his family.

"Radio Mashaal is galvanizing a population starved for artistic outlets," says Bacha, who says his songs of peace are part of "a liberal Pashtun tradition of tolerance."

Radio Mashaal and VOA's Radio Deewa each broadcast nine hours a day on a shared AM frequency. They produce programs on news, politics, culture, women's issues, and music.

(BBG Press Release)

RFE's Pakistan Broadcasts Boosted To Nine Hours A Day

September 15, 2010
(PRAGUE/ISLAMABAD) RFE's programs in the Pashtun regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan are expanding from six to nine hours a day, starting today. Amid the growing number of extremist-controlled radio stations in the region, Radio Mashaal ("Torch" in Pashto) covers local and international news with independent reports on terrorism, politics, women's issues, and health care.

Recently, a mother who was the sole survivor of a 2008 Taliban attack on a prominent anti-Taliban family in the Swat Valley told her story on the air. Radio Mashaal also interviewed the only survivor of a Taliban attack on a local jirga earlier this year that killed 30 people.

"People don't know these stories," says Acting Radio Mashaal Director Amanullah Ghilzai. "The more we broadcast Taliban atrocities, the more people come forward to share their experiences."

In May, Radio Mashaal's Daud Khattak interviewed a 26 year-old Pakistani father of two whose hands were chopped off by the Taliban after being accused of theft. Two others also had their hands cut off, but local residents - including the men's families - never reported the incident to authorities for fear of Taliban retribution.

Radio Mashaal's extensive coverage of the devastating floods in Pakistan last month included live reports from affected areas, interviews with government officials, and reaction from the international community. One Radio Mashaal correspondent, Shah Nawaz Khan, reported on the devastation from Pakistan's remote northwest, venturing further into isolated areas than any other journalist in the region.

One of Radio Mashaal's most popular programs, My Home, My Village,takes an in-depth look at the people, history, and culture of villages across the region. Because of limited means, difficult terrain, and a dangerous security environment, listeners often know little about other people and places in the tribal areas.

RFE President Jeffrey Gedmin calls Radio Mashaal's increasing popularity "proof that people will never fail to choose truth over falsehood when given a fair chance to decide."

About Radio Mashaal
Radio Mashaal was established in January 2010 to broadcast independent news and information in the local Pashto dialect of the tribal areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. It operates out of a new bureau in Pakistan and broadcasts from RFE's Prague headquarters. Radio Mashaal shares a frequency with VOA's Radio Deewa and transmits via FM and shortwave. Online, Radio Mashaal's website provides a live stream of its broadcasts.

(RFE/RL Press Release)

U.S.-funded Pashto radio a new weapon in war against Taliban

Read the story here : http://tinyurl.com/yk9lzry

RFE/RL Launches Radio Station in Pakistan's Pashtun Heartland

(PRAGUE, Czech Republic) On January 15, RFE/RL will begin broadcasting in the local Pashto dialects to Pakistan and the border regions between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The new station - called Radio Mashaal ("Torch" in Pashto) - will offer an alternative to the growing number of Islamic extremist radio stations in the region.

"There is an urgent need for accurate, objective news and information in Pakistan's tribal areas," says U.S. Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke. "Radio Mashaal's commitment to professional journalism in the local language will be an important contribution toward peace, reconciliation and democracy in the region."

Veteran Pakistani journalist and author Ahmed Rashid says he hopes Radio Mashaal "will provide people the kind of information they need to make the right decisions about their lives."

One surprise in store for listeners will be the reappearance of Haroon Bacha, a popular Pashtun singer who fled the region last year amid death threats from the Taliban. The 36-year-old recording artist - whose dozens of albums, music videos and television appearances made him one of the most famous entertainers in the region - will be hosting a cultural affairs show for Radio Mashaal. [see The New York Times: "U.S. Refuge for Singer Fleeing the Taliban," 10/12/08] There is an urgent need for accurate, objective news and information in Pakistan's tribal areas

The first broadcast will air live on January 15 at 4pm local time. Radio Mashaal's correspondents will be covering local and international news with in-depth reports on terrorism, politics, women's issues, and health care (with an emphasis on preventive medicine). The station will feature roundtable discussions and interviews with tribal leaders and local policymakers in addition to regular call-in programs aimed at giving listeners the opporturnity to be heard.

Radio Mashaal will operate out of a new bureau in Pakistan and broadcast from RFE/RL's Prague headquarters. The station will share a frequency with VOA's Radio Deewa and transmit via FM and shortwave. Online, Radio Mashaal's website will provide a live stream of its broadcasts.

(RFE/RL Press Release)