January 30, 2008	Wednesday	Muharram 20, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Jan 29: The government is considering a parliamentary proposal to lift a four-decade ban on showing films from India, a statement said on Tuesday.

Pakistan officially outlawed all Bollywood films after going to war with its mainly Hindu eastern neighbour in 1965 over the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir.

But a senate committee said that the ban should be overturned because Indian films were now widely available here – and hugely popular – on DVD and cable.

“This should be done in a manner which may promote healthy competition at home and without harming our religious and cultural norms and values,” committee chairman Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry said in a statement.

The statement added: “The ban has practically become ineffective as these are being viewed uncensored in almost every household on cable TV as well as CDs and DVDs, necessitating a reappraisal to deal with the issue rationally.”

In 2006 President Pervez Musharraf issued a special decree allowing three Indian movies to be shown in Pakistan, including the movie Taj Mahal, which starred Pakistani actress Sonia Jehan.—AFP