by Abdul Haleem, Jawed Omid
KABUL, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- A veteran Afghan journalist describes China and Afghanistan as two neighboring countries with many commonalities whose media can play a vital role in further enhancing the countries' bilateral relations.
"China is our neighbor and it has been our neighbor for a long time and will be in the future as well. I think there is lots in common between the people of Afghanistan and the people of China, which should be reported by media," Lotfullah Najafizada, told Xinhua in an exclusive interview.
Najafizada, who is the Director of TOLOnews, a leading television channel in Afghanistan, also noted that there are many similarities between Chinese and Afghan people and each side needs to further understand about the other.
"Such commonalities include our traditions such as being hospitable and welcoming of foreigners. It is important for the media on both sides to report these virtues," the veteran journalist said.
"As for what goes on in Afghanistan, it should be more than just war reporting," said Najafizada, referring the almost daily release release of reports solely on the ongoing war and militancy in Afghanistan by news agencies.
"I think it is important for the Chinese press to report on Afghan life, including how Afghans live, how we interact, how Afghan society has transformed," the journalist emphasized, adding that the peoples of Afghanistan and China could come to understand each other better in this case, and the media could help achieve this.
"We haven't heard too much from each other, unfortunately there is no presence of Afghan media in China," said Najafizada.
Najafizada, who was honored with the Kate Webb award by AFP in Hong Kong recently, said the TOLO television channel, which was established in 2005, has faced obstacles and many challenges over the past 10 years in the militancy-riddled and conservative country, to secure its place as the most-watched television channel in Afghanistan.
In a terrorist attack in Kabul last year, for which the Taliban outfit claimed responsibility, seven personnel of TOLO television were killed and 17 others wounded.
Lauding the role of media in society, Najafizada said, "today we have over 70 TV channels, 200 radio stations and several hundred newspapers at both national and provincial level."
"It is a new thing in Afghanistan as we have never had such an enormous media presence in our society."
