Radio Mashaal, the Pashto-language media broadcaster of Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty within Pakistan, has stopped operations.

The station was launched in 2010 with the aim of providing accurate, impartial information and analysis broadcasted to Pashtun-populated regions of southern Afghanistan, Pakistan’s former tribal areas, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pashtun-populated areas of Balochistan.

It shut down its radio broadcasts, website, social media pages, and WhatsApp from March 31, 2026 citing severe financial difficulties, according to a report published on its website.

It was an independent news organization funded by the US Congress through the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM).

“Over the past 16 years, Mashal has built a strong and loyal community of listeners, readers, and viewers. It has become known as the “voice of the voiceless” because it has highlighted the fundamental issues of the people and brought them to the attention of Pakistan’s rulers,” said a statement on its website.