Pakistan has imposed a blanket ban on Indian content in the country, a move seemingly prompted after a few Pakistani artistes have been stopped from working in India by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA) with a temporary ban in the wake of the Uri terrorist attacks.
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has ordered Pakistani satellite TV and radio channels to not air any kind of Indian content — films, serials, music or plays or anything else. This comes amid incidents like filmmaker Karan Johar recently saying he would not use any Pakistani actor in his upcoming films, after his most recent flick, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, faced the ire of the MNS.
The new ban is expected to come into place from 3 pm on October 21, and violators will have their broadcasting licences cancelled without any notice or warning of any sort given to them, according to a PEMRA notification issued on Wednesday, October 19.
Pakistani TV and radio channels had so far been allowed to air Indian content for a limited period of time every day. Effectively, it amounted to around 6 percent of their total air time. However, that will no more be the case, and the new decision has been taken as per government policy, sources told Pakistani media outlets.
Pakistan has not always been open for Indian content. For quite some time, there was a blanket ban on Indian films in the country, and it was lifted only in 2006, after which Indian films gained huge popularity there. The most recent of Indian films to taste great critical and box office success in Paksitan was the Salman Khan-starrer Bajrangi Bhaijaan.
However, Kabir Khan, who directed the film, faced a near immediate snub in Pakistan with is very next film, named Phantom, because it showed Pakistan harbouring terrorists.
