Lahore High Court lifts ban on Indian teleplays

ISLAMABAD: The Lahore High Court lifted a nine-month ban by the country’s media watchdog on airing of Indian teleplays on Tuesday, terming it “null and void.”
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), an independent body that regulates content of print and electronic media, had imposed a blanket ban on all Indian content on October 19, 2016, after relations between the two countries nosedived following terrorist attack on Indian military base in Uri in Jammu & Kashmir.
Granting permission to private Pakistani channels to telecast Indian teleplays, chief justice Mansoor Ali Shah said the ban was unlawful as the federal government had no objections to Indian content being telecast in Pakistan.
Justice Shah, while terming the ban “unreasonable”, asked the regulatory body to review its policies. “The world has become a global village. For how long could the unreasonable restrictions be imposed?” he asked.
The judge clarified that Indian content with objectionable or anti-Pakistan content could be censored but there was no need for a complete ban. He also asked Pemra’s counsel to inform the court if the Indian government had issued a notification to ban Pakistani content.
The court passed the orders while addressing a petition by Leo Communications, a local telecommunication company and TV channel Filmazia’s parent organization.
“The channel because of running foreign (Indian) content became very popular and received highest viewership ratings across the country,” the petitioner’s counsel Asma Jehangir said, adding that the government was indulging in ‘selective patriotism’ as the screening of Indian movies was allowed all over Pakistan. The ban on Indian films following the Uri attack was lifted in February 2017.
“A ban on Indian teleplays appears bizarre. The government is indulging in selective patriotism as Indian movies are allowed to be exhibited in cinemas all over the country, showing its double standards,” Jehangir added.
Indian films returned to Pakistani theatres in 2008 after a 43-year hiatus since the 1965 war, and have enjoyed undisputed popularity among viewers. In fact, Bollywood films account for a major chunk of the box office collections in Pakistan.