PESHAWAR, Sept 4: Taking exception to the growing public complaints regarding display of obscene signboards by the cinema houses, the district Nazim, Azam Khan Afridi, has ordered their immediate removal.

A notification was issued from the Nazim’s office on Wednesday, asking all the cinema-house owners to remove obscene signboards and cut-outs from the front of cinema houses. The notification also warned the defiant cinema owners of strict action, including arrest and cancellation of licence and imposition of huge fine.

The police have been asked to conduct raids on cinema houses and take strict action against those screening obscene movies. This practice by the cinema houses has been going on for a long time, specially after the decline of Pashto films.

Except for one cinema, most of the cinema owners have been often blamed for showing obscene films to attract viewers. For this purpose, these cinema houses have reportedly put up provocative signboards and cut-outs in front of cinema halls.

As most of these cinema halls are situated in market areas, these billboards have become a source of embarrassments for the passersby, specially for women and schoolchildren.