RFE/RL’s Service To Pakistan’s Tribal Areas: Radio Mashaal
Radio Mashaal is an impactful alternative to extremist propaganda in Pakistan's tribal regions along the border with Afghanistan, investigating issues of local concern.
About
- Mashaal engages Pashto-speaking audiences, especially youth, targeted by Taliban and militant groups since 2010.
- Available via SW and AM radio, web, satellite, and social media.
- Call-in shows mitigate audiences’ isolation by providing a bridge between residents and their political representatives.
- Launched (2022) a podcast “Na Wailee Khabare,” which means discussion of taboo subjects.
- Investigative team uncovered kidnapping, forced conversion, and forced marriages of underage Hindu girls in Pakistan.
- Counters extremist public health propaganda, informing Pakistan’s remote communities about the importance of polio eradication campaigns.
- Released documentary about women resisting discrimination and thriving in education, employment, and sports.
- Over one million people followed Mashaal’s coverage when Prime Minister Imran Khan outsted from office (2022).
- Investigated attacks against Chinese workers in Pakistan by separatist militants.
Awards
Impact
January – December 2022
- Website And Apps: 1.2 million visits; 2.2 million page views
- Facebook: 170.3 million video views; 47.1 million engaged users
- YouTube: 1.7 million video views; 207,000 subscribers
- Instagram: 1.7 million video views; 197,000 followers
Updated: April 2023
Media Climate
- Government closed Islamabad bureau and blocked websites (2018).
- Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index ranks Pakistan 157th out of 180 countries, one of the most dangerous countries for journalists.