PRAGUE (AP) — U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty says it will start broadcasting to the tribal areas of Pakistan to provide an alternative to Islamic extremist stations.
The broadcaster says in a statement that its new Radio Mashaal will broadcast in the local Pashto dialect into Pakistan’s border region with Afghanistan. The first programs will be aired Friday.
The network said Thursday that Mashaal, or Torch in Pashto, will broadcast from its headquarters in Prague while its reporters operate from a new bureau in Pakistan.
The network broadcasts in Pashto to Afghanistan, but these will be the first broadcasts to Pakistan.
Radio Free Europe is a private, nonprofit corporation that broadcasts in 28 languages to 20 countries, including Iran.