(Inputs from NDTV)

Lahore: A Pakistani court has stopped the screening of foreign films, serials and television shows, especially Indian content, on the country’s TV channels, triggering   outrage among exhibitors and viewers.

The Lahore High Court Justice Khalid Mahmood Khan ruled that Indian films and television serials were included in “Negative List” under the current bilateral trade regime.
But despite the court’s order, none of the Pakistani channels have stopped screening foreign content following  which the PEMRA fined televisions channels for violating regulations. Even this failed to to stop them from airing foreign content.

“The Indian films and other material are included in the negative list which cannot be changed by issuing a SRO. The “Negative List” contains items that cannot be traded between India and Pakistan including Indian and Turkish serials that are extremely popular in the country”, said the judge.

Pakistani viewers and film distributors questioned the order, saying it would affect the movie industry that depends on imports to ensure that  people came to watch films at new multiplexes.