ANĪS

 

ANĪS, a daily Kabul newspaper, in Darī (Persian), with some articles in Pashto. The oldest Afghan paper in continuous publication, it began, as a bi-weekly, on 5 May 1927. It was one of a number of papers initiated during the reign of King Amanallāh (1337-48/1919-29) to promote Afghan unity and nationalism. From its beginning in a period of political instability, it was frankly intended to serve the interests of government officials (see excerpt in L. Bogdanov, p. 147). It painted the authorities as benevolent guides leading the people to freedom and tried to divert rising economic expectations. A notable feature was its solicitation and publication of letters and essays from its readers. In 1931 the paper became a government-run news organ.

Bibliography:

L. Bogdanov, “Notes on the Afghan Periodical Press,” IC 3, 1929, pp. 146-51.

V. Gregorian, The Emergence of Modern Afghanistan, Stanford, 1969, pp. 244-45, 311, 359.

H. H. Smith et al., Area Handbook for Afghanistan, 4th ed., Washington, D. C., 1973, pp. 239, 240.

(L. Pourhadi)

Originally Published: December 15, 1985

Last Updated: August 5, 2011

This article is available in print.
Vol. II, Fasc. 1, p. 74

Cite this entry:

L. Pourhadi, “ANĪS,” Encyclopædia Iranica, II/1, p. 74, available online at http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/anis-a-daily-kabul-newspaper-in-dari-persian-with-some-articles-in-pashto (accessed on 30 December 2012).