Crackdown launched on sale of Indian films
ISLAMABAD: The government has launched a crackdown on sale of Indian movies and banned airing of advertisements for India-made products on television channels in the wake of tensions over the situation in India-held Kashmir.
“We have banned Indian advertisements and launched a crackdown on CD shops to confiscate Indian movies,” said Firdous Ashiq Awan, the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information.
Talking to Dawn on Thursday, she said the interior ministry had already started a crackdown on Indian movies in the federal capital and it would be expanded to other parts of the country soon in collaboration with the provincial governments. “Today the interior ministry raided some compact disc shops in Islamabad and confiscated Indian movies.”
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) has prohibited airing of advertisements for India-made products on television and radio networks.
In a letter circulated to all its television and radio licencees on Wednesday, the authority recalled that it had withdrawn permission for airing Indian channels and content on the Supreme Court’s directive in October last year.
“However, it has been observed that advertisements of various products of multi-nationals, which are either produced in India or carry Indian characters, are being aired on electronic media,” said the letter posted on Pemra’s Twitter account.
The letter recalled that the government had designated this year’s Independence Day as a “day of solidarity with Kashmiris” in the wake of recent tensions.
However, the airing at the same time of advertisements, produced in India, and carrying Indian celebrities, on Pakistani media was tantamount to “negating the state policy”, the authority said.
Showing Indian celebrities on Pakistani TV screens “aggravates miseries of Pakistanis who are perturbed over Indian atrocities on Kashmiri brethren”, Pemra observed.
According to Pemra, it had now decided to ban the broadcast of all advertisements featuring Indian products or personalities under Section 27(a) of the Pemra Ordinance 2002.
Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2019
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Comments (54) Closed
We Dont need any viewers from Pakistan as we have enough at home.
Ok, do crackdown on Indian movies sale, but stop the damn crackdown on opposition, crackdown on businessmen, crackdown on economy, crackdown on traders, crackdown on other activist, crackdown on media and let us all be free on basic rights, don't make every thing the matter of sovereignty.
Finally you have take some action against piracy by confiscating cd's of Bollywood films. Thanks!
What abt torrent...
Most Pakistanis do not want to see Indian faces on their TV screens. Please enforce the ban.
What you can do about online movies?
More than 80% of the products sold in pakistan are made in India.
Just one Veto and the case goes to dustbin.
Negative actions will not work. Thousands of years of relations can not be suppressed .
All daily soap and movies are freely available on internet, youtube etc
All daily soap and movies are freely available on internet, youtube etc
Good news.
So no more Deepika?
How can you stop youtube and the dowloads and the NETFLIX use for watching indian movies? Attempting to watching indian movies should result in suspension of the account and/or the internet for a minimum of 2 days.
Great job. Do it all over Pakistan.
They will be available clandestinely with a higher price tag
Who watch CDs in presence of online streaming resources and data!
Should have been enforced years ago.
How about You Tube?
The point isn’t to hurt India’s economy - the pint is to remove Indian pop culture influences.
Shopkeepers will have to keep those under the floor boards.
seems art and sports no longer transcends across the boundaries... thats exactly I believe in..
Haven't Indian films been banned for long time now. It seems Pakistan has only one working organisation PEMRA.
@AK, tell this to your Modi.
Many Pakistanis will loose business and jobs. They are already poor and fighting with inflation. Nobody is thinking about them.
Why does this Govt hide their failure with such move. Please do your real homework and bear fruit. This only add more unemployment in the existing economy
What about Netflix and Amzon Prime?
"Multi national company based in Karachi with marketing network through out Pakistan is on sale on urgent basis. Send bids early"
R.S. Menon, Gurgaon
What are we going to achieve by these silly acts. Government also knows there are tons of pirated CD and online material available. Let the people decide. These minister should visit the flooded area and help people instead of diverting their attention.
All people living abroad will be watching the Indian movies in theatres and on various systems on tv at home. Want effect Bollywood in anyway by Pakistan boycott. Pakistan is a small market.
MNC should be clearly directed to follow the rules as they are airing Indian Made advertisement against the SC rulings. Similarly Indian made products and clothes in Illegal market should be raided and confiscated and people should realize that enough is enough.
How appropriate. When the nation is in mourning no entertainment should be there. What about Indian songs? No indian songs to be played or heard anywhere. Radio or private homes or weddings no where. Why Indian songs are being played? That should be the first ban in mourning.
how will this help?
Thanks for your move on piracy.
Too little, too late. The damage is already done.
This will not help anybody. It is a waste of time.
You will have to ban Internet to curb this otherwise it will be of no use.
Nothing concrete!!! Just gimmicks
Good move by pemra. Seeing movies and advertisements are not good. People should lead a quiet and healthy life.
Maybe this lady so fond of coming on TV wants to become a star. She like her PM is also trying to wipe out all competition.
@AXH, Then why the confiscation and crack down.
How will this help?
Someone needs to bring her back to 2019. Nobody uses CDs anymore.
Why air space is still open ?
Just walk down to any CD shop or mobile repair center and they transfer any movie by shareit for just Rs 5 per movie
Why would anyone want to watch these rubbish films anyways.
Indian channels as well as movies must be banned for ever in pakistan. In the wake recent tensions between india and pakistan, it is our moral responsibility to boycott all india-made products to send the world message of how strong our relations are with kashmiris and how important kashmir is for us.
Any one caught watching Bollywood movie must be caught and forced to watch one full Pakistani movie at one go in theatre. this way no one will dare
this is actually protecting their industry. let the piracy hoarders make money
Please crack down on piracy
It’s continuing since long time without any substantial outcome.
Good.
@kashif, crack down are necessary to collect taxes, which no one was paying in the past, yet every one expects that the govt and the state should provide us with all facilities, is this fair ?
@kashif, The “crack down” is on crooks. But I agree that crooks do get away and simple and honest people get cracked skulls. Honesty is never a good policy in the world of yesterday and today and in all likelihood tomorrow as well.
Comments (54) Closed
We Dont need any viewers from Pakistan as we have enough at home.
Ok, do crackdown on Indian movies sale, but stop the damn crackdown on opposition, crackdown on businessmen, crackdown on economy, crackdown on traders, crackdown on other activist, crackdown on media and let us all be free on basic rights, don't make every thing the matter of sovereignty.
Finally you have take some action against piracy by confiscating cd's of Bollywood films. Thanks!
What abt torrent...
Most Pakistanis do not want to see Indian faces on their TV screens. Please enforce the ban.
What you can do about online movies?
More than 80% of the products sold in pakistan are made in India.
Just one Veto and the case goes to dustbin.
Negative actions will not work. Thousands of years of relations can not be suppressed .
All daily soap and movies are freely available on internet, youtube etc
All daily soap and movies are freely available on internet, youtube etc
Good news.
So no more Deepika?
How can you stop youtube and the dowloads and the NETFLIX use for watching indian movies? Attempting to watching indian movies should result in suspension of the account and/or the internet for a minimum of 2 days.
Great job. Do it all over Pakistan.
They will be available clandestinely with a higher price tag
Who watch CDs in presence of online streaming resources and data!
Should have been enforced years ago.
How about You Tube?
The point isn’t to hurt India’s economy - the pint is to remove Indian pop culture influences.
Shopkeepers will have to keep those under the floor boards.
seems art and sports no longer transcends across the boundaries... thats exactly I believe in..
Haven't Indian films been banned for long time now. It seems Pakistan has only one working organisation PEMRA.
@AK, tell this to your Modi.
Many Pakistanis will loose business and jobs. They are already poor and fighting with inflation. Nobody is thinking about them.
Why does this Govt hide their failure with such move. Please do your real homework and bear fruit. This only add more unemployment in the existing economy
What about Netflix and Amzon Prime?
"Multi national company based in Karachi with marketing network through out Pakistan is on sale on urgent basis. Send bids early"
R.S. Menon, Gurgaon
What are we going to achieve by these silly acts. Government also knows there are tons of pirated CD and online material available. Let the people decide. These minister should visit the flooded area and help people instead of diverting their attention.
All people living abroad will be watching the Indian movies in theatres and on various systems on tv at home. Want effect Bollywood in anyway by Pakistan boycott. Pakistan is a small market.
MNC should be clearly directed to follow the rules as they are airing Indian Made advertisement against the SC rulings. Similarly Indian made products and clothes in Illegal market should be raided and confiscated and people should realize that enough is enough.
How appropriate. When the nation is in mourning no entertainment should be there. What about Indian songs? No indian songs to be played or heard anywhere. Radio or private homes or weddings no where. Why Indian songs are being played? That should be the first ban in mourning.
how will this help?
Thanks for your move on piracy.
Too little, too late. The damage is already done.
This will not help anybody. It is a waste of time.
You will have to ban Internet to curb this otherwise it will be of no use.
Nothing concrete!!! Just gimmicks
Good move by pemra. Seeing movies and advertisements are not good. People should lead a quiet and healthy life.
Maybe this lady so fond of coming on TV wants to become a star. She like her PM is also trying to wipe out all competition.
@AXH, Then why the confiscation and crack down.
How will this help?
Someone needs to bring her back to 2019. Nobody uses CDs anymore.
Why air space is still open ?
Just walk down to any CD shop or mobile repair center and they transfer any movie by shareit for just Rs 5 per movie
Why would anyone want to watch these rubbish films anyways.
Indian channels as well as movies must be banned for ever in pakistan. In the wake recent tensions between india and pakistan, it is our moral responsibility to boycott all india-made products to send the world message of how strong our relations are with kashmiris and how important kashmir is for us.
Any one caught watching Bollywood movie must be caught and forced to watch one full Pakistani movie at one go in theatre. this way no one will dare
this is actually protecting their industry. let the piracy hoarders make money
Please crack down on piracy
It’s continuing since long time without any substantial outcome.
Good.
@kashif, crack down are necessary to collect taxes, which no one was paying in the past, yet every one expects that the govt and the state should provide us with all facilities, is this fair ?
@kashif, The “crack down” is on crooks. But I agree that crooks do get away and simple and honest people get cracked skulls. Honesty is never a good policy in the world of yesterday and today and in all likelihood tomorrow as well.