Afghanistan Minister for Information and Culture Abdul Karim Khuram on Sunday repeated his commitment to safeguard freedom of press in the post-Taliban country, Xinhua reported.
"I congratulate the freedom of press and repeat the government' s commitment towards press freedom," Khuram said in his remarks at a conference held here to mark the World Press Freedom Day.
However, he expressed concern over what he described "unfair financing of media" and calling on journalists and those involved in media fields to safeguard press freedom.
The minister who came under strong criticism and summoned to parliament last month noted, "we want the real freedom of press but in conformity with our traditions and values."
Earlier, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan ( UNAMA) in a statement issued on Sunday urged Afghan government and Afghan citizens to protect press freedom in the country.
The post-Taliban Afghanistan has seen over a dozen television channels and more than 200 print media outlets operational. Several journalists have been killed and injured over the past eight years in Afghanistan while many more have received threat or intimidated.
...