Pakistan imposed blanket ban on Indian content over Kashmir

 

ISLAMABAD (AP) – Pakistan’s media regulation authority said Thursday it was imposing a blanket ban on Bollywood films and other Indian content on its television networks and radio stations amid increasing tension between the two nuclear-armed rivals on the issue of the disputed region of Kashmir.

The ban will be enforced from Friday and any TV and radio station found violating it will be shut down, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority, or PEMRA, said in a statement.

Indian movies are popular in Pakistan and Pakistani musicians and actors are extensively used and are well paid by Bollywood.

PEMRA gave no reason for the move, but two government officials said the step was taken following reports that some Indian filmmakers were refusing to use Pakistani actors in movies. They said some Indian cinema owners also stopped screening films with Pakistani casts. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Comments are closed.