A new media watchdog held an inaugural ceremony in Kabul on Thursday, pledging to protect freedom of expression and the Afghan media community.

Journalists and media outlets who participated in the inauguration ceremony of the organization expressed concerns that many organizations misuse the title of journalist for their own interests.  

The organization is named Nehad Rasana-e-Afghanistan.  

“Some of the organizations vowed to work for journalists but we saw that they didn’t bring any positive results,” said Nazifa, an Afghan journalist.  

However, the organization pledged to work for the rights of journalists and media in Afghanistan. 

“We are in negotiations with the Islamic Emirate regarding the status of women journalists,” said Abozar Saram, head of the organization. “The ongoing problems (in the media family) gave us the motivation to create this organization.”  

This comes as Afghanistan’s national journalists union said earlier that over 70 percent of media organizations halted operations due to severe economic challenges and the restrictions on access to information.  

On Thursday, the remains of Kamran, an anchor of Noor TV, was laid to rest in Paghman district of Kabul province. Kamran died in a traffic accident on the way to Iran. His visit to Iran was reportedly due to economic problems.   

Kamran, 35, had worked in several media organizations for the past eight years.