Why did you decided to feature Tolo TV for Our World?

One of the things the country has celebrated in the past 15 years since the US-led invasion, was press freedom. The region itself faces a lot of challenges when it comes to journalism and exposing corruption and it’s something that Afghanistan as a young democracy and as a young media scene really began to embrace and celebrate. But in the last couple of years as the security situation has deteriorated.

Tolo TV is one of the most popular TV stations in the country, it has a 70% audience share and has presence in the expat Afghan community worldwide because of its programming.

They cover stories that frankly we can’t even get access to in the country. So they have a strong presence and they have always been the thorn in the side of the Taliban, and the Government, with the kind of reporting and stories that they do.

Tolo TV is at the heart of Afghan society, so when something like that is hit, it has a huge impact on the entire country. But also I wanted to understand and know who these people are, who are they that day in day out get threatened.

In the film we met Aryana Sayeed and Shakila Ibrahimkhil - two very strong women and positive role models. Is there a chance for more women to come through and follow in their footsteps?

Shakila has an incredible story. She has three children, she was a child bride, married off during the Taliban [rule], and has had a really hard life. Her husband died and her children were taken away from her by her husband’s family; she fights to get them back. The Taliban then collapses and in come western forces and Tolo is born. She gets an education joins Tolo and is now one of their longest serving members of staff, having worked there for 11 years.

Aryana Sayeed is interesting too; she is part of the early migrant story. She left the country when the Taliban came to power, as a little girl. She first went to Pakistan, moved to Sweden then made her way to London. She is one of the most popular Afghan female singers and entertainers. This is a woman where clerics have programmes on television about how they should issue fatwas against her and behead her; that anyone who spots her in public should kill her and they will have a place in heaven. This is the kind of threat she faces every day and she fights it and she’s fearless.

Did you feel a connection with either of them?

Yes, in many ways. Shakila is a colleague and a fellow journalist, she knew what I was looking for in my story. She was constantly chasing stories, constantly on the phone, the hunger she had for the stories and getting them out and the compassion she had for the people she met, I really respected her for that.

And Aryana is an ex-pat and she has chosen to go back to the country of her birth and fight for the women of that country so I had huge amounts of respect for her and a connection. I spent a long period of time with both of them and I have huge admiration for both of them.

For me with my background I could have had either one of those stories. Would have I been a Shakila if I’d stayed? My own story did play a role. When I saw her working in the hospital or on the street I thought this is where my story could’ve taken me.

Did watching how Shakila goes about her work make you think about how you do your job?

Yes, I travel to dangerous places but I leave at the end of the day. This is the reality she lives, so her tears in the hospital, while I felt heartbroken for the suffering of these children, she felt heartbroken for the state of her country. This is her reality and when a bomb goes off the first thing she thinks is are my children safe, are my family safe? And then she goes and reports on it, that’s just not a reality I face. I expose myself to dangers but it’s a decision I make to go to those places and tell those stories.

She really doesn’t have a choice, she covers the stories of the day and by default she’s become the suicide bombing correspondent. She does stories on the families and the impact, which is incredibly difficult and I realised in many ways she is quite damaged. Day in, day out she covers these stories and does this mean every day she breaks down like we see her do in the hospital?

Can Tolo TV survive?

The owner of Tolo said to me that they have to be prepared for anything, including folding. I hope it survives, it’s such a symbol of hope and potential that the country, its people have and a hunger for all of those things that we have – entertainment, freedom to go out freely, access to music and dancing, the nice things in life.

Is there light at the end of the tunnel for Afghanistan?

I hope so because the Afghan people are so resilient. They’ve seen so much and they always fight back. It’s sad for me that it’s a place that’s not really thought about as much anymore. But it’s our jobs as journalists to bring to light stories that don’t make big headlines but need to be told, the Iraqs of the world, the Yemens of the world, the South Sudans of the world.

These are stories that aren’t necessarily at the top of the news agenda but need to be.

For more information, catch Afghanistan: Killing the Messenger with Yalda Hakim on Saturday, 14 May at 04:10 and 19:10 as well as on Sunday, 15 May at 12:10 on BBC World News, channel 400 on DStv.