Female TV anchor flees Afghanistan after Taliban leader's interview

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 31 August 2021

Beheshta Arghand, known for her groundbreaking interview with a Taliban leader, has left Afghanistan due to fears for her safety. The interview marked a significant moment in Afghan media history.

Summary

KABUL—Earlier this month, Beheshta Arghand, a female anchor at Afghanistan’s TOLO TV news channel, made history when she interviewed a senior Taliban leader on the air. The interview made headlines around the world.

However, she then decided to leave Afghanistan, citing the dangers that so many journalists and ordinary Afghans are facing under the Taliban rule.

In an interview with CNN Business via Whatsapp, she said, "I left the country because, like millions of people, I fear the Taliban."

Arghand, 24, studied journalism at Kabul University for four years. She worked at several news agencies and radio stations for short periods, then joined TOLO TV News as a presenter earlier this year.

"I worked there for one month and 20 days, then the Taliban came."

Her August 17 interview with the Taliban was the first time in Afghanistan's history that a Taliban representative appeared live in a TV studio sitting across from a female presenter.

Arghand said the interview was difficult, "but I did it for Afghan women."

KEY POINTS:

• Beheshta Arghand is a 24-year-old journalist from TOLO TV.
• Her interview with a Taliban leader was the first live appearance with a female presenter.
• She left Afghanistan citing safety concerns for journalists under Taliban rule.
• Arghand studied journalism at Kabul University.
• She worked at TOLO TV for just over a month before fleeing.