As part of the 30th anniversary of the Asia-Plus media group, the famous historian, Professor Saifullohi Mullojon shared his thoughts about our media and proposed ideas for its development.
Professor Mullojon says that he has been following Asia-Plus since the early days of its foundation, first reading the printed version of the newspaper, and today he follows it through social networks and the Internet. He is more interested in analytical materials related to international relations, integration in Central Asia and social news.
“For these almost 30 years, from the year I graduated from university and took my first steps in research, I have been close to Asia-Plus. And, of course, I trust,” our interlocutor said.
According to Saifulloha Mullojon, one of the main features of Asia-Plus, which distinguishes it from other media, is the high professionalism and reliability of the news published. He noted that over all these years it has extremely rarely happened that unverified or inaccurate information was published in this publication.
“Most of the events that were published in Asia-Plus were sometimes delayed, but these are the events that really happened, that took place. It rarely happens that Asia-Plus writes something, and a day or several days later asks for forgiveness. Their news is usually verified and definitive,” he stressed.
It was this objectivity in covering events, according to the professor, that made Asia-Plus a recognized media outlet not only in the country, but also at the regional and post-Soviet levels as an authoritative news agency.
“If you evaluate the rating, Asia-Plus may be in first place in terms of recognition in the post-Soviet space. I’m not mistaken, because it is in the region, in Central Asia, that Asia-Plus is recognized as a respected and professional news agency,” Mullojon added.
Showing up at the right time
Professor Mullojon recalled that “Asia-Plus” appeared at the right time, in the first years of independence, when, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Tajikistan was experiencing an “information famine.”
According to him, “Asia-Plus” played two historical roles in those years – it brought the voice of Tajikistan to the world and at the same time brought the voice of peace to the country.
“We were separated from the Soviet Union and were not yet integrated into the world community. It was necessary for us to be represented by an independent institute from inside Tajikistan in Russian. And it was precisely this vacuum that Asia-Plus was able to fill. It is very important that this newspaper brought our voice to the world, and the voice of the world to us,” the historian noted.
The art of staying on stage
The historian also noted how Asia Plus was able to remain active and independent in the face of political instability and restrictions throughout all these years.
“Sadi says: “A traveler is one who walks slowly and steadily.” And there is a proverb in the Tajik language that says: “A crooked path also leads.” That is, you must simultaneously coordinate your actions, reconcile interests and at the same time fulfill your task,” says the professor.
In his opinion, the main art of publishing lies in “the ability to stay and serve”: “The fact that you talk for several years or one year, and then you are suspended, or you cannot compete, or you are excluded altogether – this is not art. The art is to stand in this situation, maintain your success and serve the community.”
“In fact, you don’t have to talk about everything. It is the task of history, after everything has been summed up, to carry out analysis and evaluation. You must focus on what you have now, with the opportunities that exist at this moment. This is an art – to preserve yourself, to say your word. It’s important that you don’t lie,” Mullojohn said.
Criticism and suggestion: creation of a section in Persian
In the final part of the conversation, Professor Mullojon noted that he did not agree with the opinion of “Asia-Plus” on all issues, and over the years he sometimes expressed his comments to the founders of the publication. However, the main topic to which he persistently returned was the need to create a section in Persian in Asia-Plus:
“It is a law of history that every 30-35 years the world changes. 30 years have passed since Asia-Plus was founded. The world has changed and is in the process of changing. What I dream about is that with the team that Asia-Plus has, with those decisions and good intentions regarding the country and people, you should have your place in today’s Persian-speaking space.”
According to the professor, this need is confirmed by numbers:
– population of Afghanistan – 40 million;
– population of Iran – more than 90 million;
– and in general, the Persian language world has about 150 million people.
“That is, just as the Russian-language press has its own audience, so the world of the Persian language has its own audience. And this space is empty,” the interlocutor noted.
Professor Mullojon emphasized that the information situation in Afghanistan, which, despite 50 years of political instability, is more active in information terms than Tajikistan, is a clear example of this gap. In his opinion, the conditions for filling this gap have been fully created.
“What could be better than this basis, when 90% of Asia-Plus employees are Tajiks, you know this language. The place for a powerful news agency in our language in Tajikistan is currently empty. What is needed for this? This requires one decision and a good intention.”
He concluded his thoughts by saying, “You have achieved success, now it is important to maintain that success and serve the community.”
We remind you that April 2, 2026 marks the 30th anniversary of the Asia-Plus media group.
