The Lahore High Court (LHC) responding to a petition filed by a local film distributor of Indian movie 'Dostana' on Thursday sought reply from Pakistan Censor Board and adjourned the proceedings till December 16. The petition has called in question different restrictions imposed by the Censor Board on the exhibition of Indian movies in Pakistan.
Earlier, on the main petition filed by Mehfooz Chaudhry, the court had sought comments from the Secretary Culture and Secretary Film Sensor Board. Petitioner, Mehfooz submitted that he was one of the owners of Ratan Cinema Lahore and his father, Chaudhry Eid Muhammad, had been importing Indian films before ban on their exhibition in Pakistan.
The government banned exhibition of Indian movies in Pakistan in December 07, 1965 and according to Film Sensor Rules 1980, no foreign movie could be exhibited in Pakistan. But the Sensor Board and the Cultural Ministry in violation of the rules had been issuing notifications to allow exhibition of specific movies in the country to favour their favourite ones, which was a discriminatory act.
He therefore prayed that exhibition of Indian films in Pakistan should be declared unlawful, illegal and against the Film Rules 1980 and no Indian movie should be allowed to be exhibited till the disposal of his petition.
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