Hanan Habibzai

BBC commitment to impartiality questioned in its coverage of Afghanistan By Hanan Habibzai This article analysis the work of three media organizations relating to their coverage of the same event in Afghanistan. On 10 th February 2011 Lutfullah Mashal, a spokesman from the Afghan National Security Directorate, gave a press conference to the world’s media claiming the government had arrested two men suspected of carrying out a suicide bombing in Kabul that killed eight people. The BBC Pashto Service report of the conference, compared to coverage of the same event by the USA’s Washington Post and an Afghan online news agency Pajhwok calls into question the BBC’s impartiality when reporting on Afghan affairs. The BBC is renowned for its relatively strong commitment to impartial, professional journalism focused on truth in the public interest. ‘‘Impartiality lies at the heart of public service and is the core of the BBC’s commitment to its audiences. It applies to all...

Pashto andPashtuns In the Light of Linguistic Perspective By Prof.Dr.M.A. Zyar Pashto is the language of Pashtuns. Pashtuns (Afghans) are the biggest majority ethno-linguistic tribe and the most long living residents of Afghanistan. The name of the country is links with the name of largest majority, the Pashtuns. From the point of view of history and geography Pashtuns belong to northeastern areas like Pamir and Balkh . The grandpas of Pashtuns were named as Sakas , Kasyan and Sakan, and the Pashto itself were the grandson of Saki language. Other current Saki languages belong to Saka origins like: Osety (Caucasia) and 12 or 13 other Pamiri languages are considered close sisters. Sakas are considered the fifth Aryanian origin along with, Awesta-speaking Zartostrians , Partians , Madians and Parsians , which created big empires many centuries before Christ in the Middle East, Caucasia, to northern west India and Kashmir, and defended its main residential te...