DUSHANBE, September 21, Asia-Plus --Four television and radio stations in Tajikistan have received broadcasting licenses, Barakatullo Abdulfayzov, a member of the licensing commission at the Committee for TV and Radio-broadcasting, announced at briefing in Dushanbe on September 20. 

Abdulfayzov said a session of the licensing commission presided over by the committee head,

Asadullo Rahmonov, was held on September 19.  The commission found that four stations, including TV station Anis from Konibodom (Sughd), TV station Kurushkada from Istaravshan (Sughd), TV station Simoi

Mustaqili Tojikiston (Independent TV of Tajikistan) from Dushanbe, and radio station Tojikistoni Navin (New Tajikistan) from Dushanbe, had fulfilled all the requirements to be licensed. ”These companies should receive their licenses within the next few days,” Abdulfayzov said. 

The commission received 15 applications from entities from Dushanbe, Vahdat, Tursunzoda and Hissor for broadcasting licenses in the last four months, according to Abdulfayzov. ”However, the majority of applicants have failed to fulfill all requirements necessary for getting a license,” he said, “but it does not mean that they will not get licenses; we have remitted their documentations for review and as soon as they bring them into compliance, the commission will consider them again.” 

 Abdulfayzov told Asia-Plus that the objective of the news conference was to dispel the opinion that the committee is monopolist and “deliberately withholds licenses.  The law is the law and we should observe it when granting licenses,” he said, adding that no company has managed to fulfill all requirements for getting license on its first application. 

“Those who were licensed yesterday also failed to qualify at first; we returned their documents several times,” the commission member noted.  According to him, many applicants for broadcasting licenses are not yet ready to work in the field because they lack skilled specialists and proper equipment. 

The founder of the new TV station Simoi Mustaqili Tojikiston, Zinatullo Ismoilov, said in an interview with Asia-Plus that his TV station will have programs both in Tajik and Russian and air eight hours a day, two hours in the morning and six hours in the evening.

Radio station Tojikistoni Navin also intends to broadcast in two languages and to reach a broad audience, from children to adults.