LAHORE: Lahore High Court Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza on Monday sought replies from respondents on a petition challenging the federal government’s decision of cancelling the clearance certificate, issued by the censor board, for allowing exhibition of Pakistani film ‘Maalik’.
The judge directed the respondents in the petition including the federal government, censor board and Punjab government to file replies until June 27. Petitioner counsel Muhammad Azhar Siddique submitted that the film censor board had allowed the exhibition of the film but the Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and Heritage, through a notification of April 27, had imposed ban on exhibition of Maalik. He said that after 18th amendment, the government had no authority to impose ban on any film and the matter pertaining to motion pictures was devolved to provinces.
He said that that the film was on topic of corruption issue, which was hot in the prevailing circumstances after Panama leaks, and it would not create any unrest among the masses. He submitted that the film was neither against the sovereignty of the state nor was it against social values but even then the government had banned exhibition of film in cinemas across the country. He said that it was high time that the public should be informed about the evils of corruption, adding that the people of Pakistan have fundamental rights to watch the movie in view of the article 19 of the constitution.He requested the court to declare the government’s impugned notification regarding the film as illegal.
