Pakistan court revokes ban on Indian soaps

Islamabad: A Pakistani court on Tuesday lifted a ban imposed by Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) on the airing of Indian teleplays.

The Lahore high court (LHC) declared Pemra’s order null and void as the federal government had no objections regarding the same.

Pemra had issued a notification imposing a blanket ban on all Indian content on October 19, 2016 as relations between Pakistan and India soured after the Uri attack last year.

M/s Leo Communications, TV channel Filmazia’s parent organisation, sought to overturn the ban as it had not been imposed by the government of Pakistan.

The petition challenged the Pemra circular as being beyond the powers of the regulatory body and the constitution, and claimed that the government was indulging in “selective patriotism” because even though Indian movies were allowed to be screened all over the country, they could not be aired on
television.

The petition claimed that the government was involved in ‘selective patriotism’ because even though Indian movies were allowed to be screened all over the country, they could not be aired on television.

Although Pemra’s ban on the airing of Indian films was lifted in February this year, permission to air teleplays or television dramas was not granted.

The petitioner’s counsel Asma Jehangir argued in court that a ban on Indian teleplays appeared strange while Indian films were being openly aired.

Pemra’s counsel claimed that the ban had been imposed since India had imposed similar restrictions on all Pakistani content.

LHC Chief Justice, Mansoor Ali Shah, said that Indian content with objectionable or anti-Pakistan content could be censored but there was no need for a complete ban.  “The world has become a global village,” Justice Shah said