Afghanistan isn't what you think – But it's still on the brink: Mohseni
Three years after the chaotic and abrupt US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the country remains under Taliban control – but the worst fears of a complete collapse have not come to pass. According to Saad Mohseni, founder of the Moby Group, the country is not as isolated or dysfunctional as many assume. Yet a litany of challenges remains, including economic collapse, humanitarian crises, and a lack of inclusive governance.
'American aid, which I think it's over 700 million last year, is down to zero,' Mohseni told Al Arabiya English's Hadley Gamble in an extended interview, referring to the recent decision by America's new Trump administration to sever foreign aid. 'Which requires the Taliban is going to have to step up. Absolutely.'
'People can leave the country. They can go into the country. We have three flights from Dubai. FlyDubai flies into Afghanistan daily. Flights from Turkey. They're not closed off,' he said.
While the comment may seem surprising given the headlines, Mohseni insists the country remains physically and commercially accessible in ways many outsiders overlook.
'There's quite a bit of activity, especially from a lot of diaspora Afghans, who go and visit. The country is not sanctioned, per se. Unlike Syria, individuals are sanctioned, but the country is not, so you can go and do business. Technically speaking, there are opportunities. A lot of Chinese companies, Iranian companies, are active. But the economy is always on the verge of economic collapse. Yes, humanitarian crises.'
Mohseni's Moby Group operates five television and radio networks and dozens of digital platforms in Afghanistan. Despite the Taliban's return to power, the company remains one of the country's largest employers in the media sector, including for women.
'We have 450 people. We have five TV and radio networks. We have dozens of digital platforms. It's not easy,' he admitted. 'We've had to make, you know, we've had to, you know, there were lots of concessions. Yes, compromises.'
He described a media environment in which self-censorship is now a necessity, and visible signs of Taliban control are present on-air.
'We can't have music, we can't have soap operas, but otherwise, if you turn the TV on, at least for the first few minutes, it seems very normal. But our female presenters have to wear surgical masks to cover their mouths, as is required by the state. But they're still working. As a matter of fact, we have more women working for us in our news department today than we did in 2021.'
Rather than retreating, Mohseni's group leaned into its public service role, especially in the realm of education, where girls remain barred from formal schooling beyond grade six.
'Television and online educational programming – and radio as well – is a bridge, basically,' he said. 'From the time that education was banned to a time when hopefully they'll reopen the schools. It is not an alternative to proper education, girls going to school, yes, but we felt that, you know, from grade seven onwards, girls are not allowed to go back, but they need to continue to learn.'
The Moby Group launched curriculum-aligned educational programs in mathematics, chemistry, physics and biology.
'We could actually come up with really smart, interesting, engaging education programmes,' he said.
'These programs for grades seven, eight and nine initially, and now we've expanded beyond that – tenth, eleventh and twelfth grades – are very, very popular. Half the country's kids watch it, watch these programmes or listen to them.'
In a more recent pilot, Moby has tested WhatsApp tutoring. The results, he says, are remarkable.
'We have a trial of WhatsApp, sort of tutoring program. And the kids who watch, these are the ones who are engaged by WhatsApp. Their numbers are 200 percent better. So we're seeing real change in terms of how it's impacting kids. And it's an extraordinary result for us, something to be very proud of.'
The former investment banker turned media entrepreneur, returned to Afghanistan after 2001 and went on to build the country's largest independent media group operating under four successive regimes. His recently published book 'Radio Free Afghanistan' charts the rise of the media empire, the challenges of navigating war and censorship, and the cost of continuing to report freely in a country slipping back toward authoritarianism.
Looking ahead, Mohseni remains cautiously optimistic that change is possible, but it hinges on both internal reform and external engagement.
'More inclusivity. They have to have a more inclusive governing body that reflects, you know, this very complicated country called Afghanistan that's multiethnic and diverse and so forth. And the other one is girls' education and women's rights. Yes, this is not a Western thing. This is an Afghan thing. And that's why I think it's important for Afghans from within Afghanistan and also outside to keep on pushing for this.'
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