LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Friday issued notices to the federal government and the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) on a petition seeking immediate ban on trade, exhibition and selling of Indian films in Pakistan in the wake of tension on borders.

A citizen namely Sheikh Muhammad Latif filed the petition through Advocate Nadeem Sarwar pleading that the Import Policy Order 2016 announced by the federal government had banned import of all Indian films and other content.

However, he said, the then prime minister through a notification of the Ministry of Information on Jan 31, 2017, announced that display of all international moves including Indian films in Pakistan would continue under the garb of revival of Pakistani film and cinema industry.

The lawyer argued that the notification was unlawful as it had not been approved by the federal cabinet, which was mandatory under a Supreme Court judgment in Mustafa Impex case of 2012.

He contended that the recent terror attack in Pulwama (India held Kashmir), the All India Cine Workers officially announced a total ban on Pakistani actors working in Indian film industry and also banned songs sung by Pakistani singers.

The counsel pleaded that the Supreme Court in a recent judgment ordered the government to take strict action against airing of Indian content on television channels. He asked the court to set aside the impugned notification of Jan 31, 2017, for being unlawful and direct the government to immediately impose a complete ban on exhibition of Indian films and other content in view of the SC order.

Justice Sajid Mahmood Sethi sought replies from the respondent within a week.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2019