Taliban-era radio announcer rides crest of the airwaves

Once a deadpan radio announcer under the Taliban, Masood Sanjer has gained renown for being a thorn in the side of accountability-dodging Afghan officials, exemplifying hard-won media freedoms that are at stake in a pivotal year.
His radio talk show "Safai Shahar" (cleaning the city) is something of a cross between a public helpline and a kangaroo court, enabling callers around Afghanistan to vent their civic grievances over the airwaves -- from broken sewage drains to crime and corruption.
Sanjer, 36, plays troubleshooter live on air, phoning up relevant authorities to seek redress, often skewering them for answers and sometimes chivvying them into action.

"Does anyone know where the mayor of Kabul is this morning?" he purred into the microphone during a recent hour-long show broadcast live at 7am from a spartan Kabul studio.
A woman producer sat nearby, fingers skittering over a cellphone as she attempted in vain to get hold of the mayor after an angry caller accused the municipality of dumping raw sewage in his neighbourhood.
"If you see the mayor anywhere could you please convey that Arman FM radio is trying to contact him? He isn't answering his phone," Sanjer said, pouting mockingly. "Is he still asleep?"

Sanjer was once a mealy-mouthed announcer at Voice of Sharia, the Taliban's official mouthpiece during their oppressive 1996-2001 rule, cautiously vetting every word before it fell off his tongue. His life depended on it.

"One mistake, one wrong word and you could get locked up in a container by the Taliban," he told AFP, revealing his sepia-toned photograph from the time sporting the mandatory beard and turban.
"And now look at me -- I just switch on the mic and say whatever comes out of my mouth," said Sanjer, now clean-shaven.