"Erada" notes that authorities have welcomed the insurgents' pledge but adds: "We should bear in mind that this announcement was made by our enemies, who have massacred our innocents, killed our religious scholars, set fire to our academic institutions, and claimed responsibility for every kind of criminal activity committed against our compatriots. The authorities' optimism appears to be premature, since there is no guarantee that the Taliban will honor their pledge."

The paper predicts that insurgents will "certainly continue to carry out acts of terrorism and destruction" and says: "We should never trust their announcements and promises. On the contrary, we should take comprehensive security measures to thwart their cowardly and subversive efforts throughout the country."

In the same vein, the state-run "Hewad" daily on 24 August hints at distrust of the neo-Taliban pronouncement but urges, "We hope the Taliban honor their pledge and fulfill their duty to the nation by helping to maintain security and peace during the polling."

["Erada" (Intention) is an independent daily originally launched as a weekly in Peshawar, Pakistan in 2000. It moved to Kabul and subsequently relaunched as a daily at the end of 2002. "Hewad" (Country) is a state-funded, Pashtu-language daily whose origins date back to 1949.]

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In an editorial titled "Merchants Of Freedom Talk Of Freedom" on 22 August, the daily "Arman-e Melli" accuses media outlets of allowing too many "lies and hypocrisy" to be peddled by commentators and candidates alike. The paper suggests that the distortion of "events and incidents that occurred under the king [Zaher Shah] and subsequently" threaten to muddy the collective memory, particularly among young people who did not live through much of the past three decades.

"Promoting the culture of truthfulness, condemning untruth and hypocrisy, and curbing deception are the primary missions of the mass media and of those involved in cultural affairs," "Arman-e Melli" comments.

"Why do they allow such insincerity, which can mislead the young people who have no reliable information about past coups, foreign intervention, or the role of the [political] left and right?"

So ultimately the paper appears to be suggesting that greater official control should be imposed on the press, since it adds that a "lack of sound management system in the area of culture and media" is the real culprit.

"Some media outlets have unwisely and irresponsibly chosen to allow the current golden opportunities to be used by those who are not committed to true values and principles," "Arman-e Melli" says. It accuses such people of abusing the media platform to "please a specific political group with which they are affiliated,... cover up heinous acts of espionage, treason, and the killing and massacre of our compatriots, and condone the conduct of those whose most obvious [contributions] have been the betrayal of the national interest, the slaughter of freedom, and service to the occupiers."

Directors of media organizations -- and their preoccupation with profits and accompanying "negligence and lack of commitment" -- are to blame for the airtime and column space being granted to such elements, according to the paper. Other media heads are too closely allied with certain political groups, "Arman-e Melli" adds.

The paper concludes with an appeal to the media to "remain committed to the truth, not to lies and deception." They can demonstrate that commitment through their "impartiality in reflecting reality...[and] entrusting such affairs to experts."

["Arman-e Melli" (Hope of the Nation) is an independent Dari/Pashtu daily that was founded by the Afghan Interim Authority in 2002.]

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Turning back to the daily "Erada," that paper joins the media chorus questioning the suitability of many candidates in the September legislative elections, particularly those it describes as "individuals whose hands are stained with the blood of the people and whose names have been recorded in contemporary history as killers of the Afghan nation."

In an editorial titled "Are We Going To Get A Sound Parliament?" published on 17 August -- one day before the official campaign season kicked off -- the paper questions how the Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB) and the central government could have seemingly acquitted "criminals whose files are full of cases" of guilt and allowed them to compete as candidates. The paper asks, "How can the electoral commission...explain this to the people?"

"Erada" blames both governmental and nongovernmental groups for having "paved the way" for such elements to enter parliament through democratic mechanisms and for having "lent them legitimacy."

"They do so at a time when security has still not been restored and it is not possible to properly distinguish between good and bad," "Erada" comments.

The paper says a combination of public illiteracy and ignorance and "the influence of those in power" help to "deprive our right-thinking and independent people of their parliament."

Can we therefore be certain that we get an ideal, sound parliament?" "Erada asks. "Is there still hope for us getting an acceptable parliament comprising real representatives of the people who defend freedom, peace, democracy, prosperity, and social justice?"

[For a description of "Erada" (Intention), see above.]

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