An image of a former television anchor in Afghanistan forced to sell food to earn a living has gone viral. Identified as Musa Mohammadi, the man had worked as an anchor on several television channels. Mohammadi's image was tweeted by Kabir Haqmal, a Kabul University lecturer.
Afghanistan's economy has been in a dire state since the Taliban took over in August 2021.
"Journalists life in Afghanistan under the Taliban," Haqmal tweeted. "Musa Mohammadi worked for years as an anchor and reporter on different TV channels, now has no income to feed his family and sells street food to earn some money. Afghans suffer unprecedented poverty after the fall of the republic."
Several professionals have fallen into poverty in Afghanistan since last August. Haqmal's tweet went viral and caught the attention of Ahmadullah Wasiq, the Director-General of National Radio and Television. Wasiq later tweeted that he would appoint Mohammadi to his department.
The tweet read, “Unemployment of Musa Mohammadi, a spokesman for a private television station, rises on social media. As a matter of fact, as the director of the National Radio and Television, I assure him that we will appoint him within the framework of the National Radio and Television. We need all Afghan professionals.”