I WOULD like to know what the film censor board was doing when the much-talked about Indian movie Raees was released in Pakistan for three days and then banned.

I do not want to go into the controversy of the film for I do not watch Indian movies and have not watched Raees, but I feel these things should go through the censor board before being realised.

And first and foremost, the government should have a set policy whether our actors should be allowed to go to India or not. Once they have gone there and movies are made to Indian specifications and style, what is the point in banning it?

Both Pakistani and Indian points of view are illogical. Our actors shouldn’t go when Indo-Pak relations are what they are. And India should also not allow them entry when there is so much agitation against Pakistani actors.

It is better not to make things worse and realise that our relations and our cultures are too different to allow this. I hope better sense prevails.

S. Babar

Karachi

(2)

THIS is apropos of U.K.Dar’s letter urging the insensitive government to put a complete ban on the screening of Indian movies in Pakistan (Feb 22).

I agree with him as our relation with India is at its lowest ebb.

Reasons are simple: recurring shelling by the Indian army on the Line of Control results in casualties of both military personnel and civilians; the perpetuation of genocide in occupied Kashmir; the masterminding of terrorist attacks in Pakistan from across the territory of Afghanistan and India’s effort to isolate Pakistan.

Recently India bent all her energies to persuade the United States of America to include the name of Pakistan amongst the countries on which Donald Trump has put travel ban.

The vitriol attack on Pakistan by the Indian interior minister on a regular basis is not only stinking but humiliating. Now in such circumstances the screening of Indian movies in Pakistan is not a good idea.

Name withheld on request

Karachi

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2017