Article 370 fallout: Pakistan says no military action, bans Indian movies

Pakistan banned Indian films from being screened in cinemas across the country, said Firdous Ashiq Awan, special assistant to PM Imran Khan on Information and Broadcasting.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan (Photo | AP)
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan (Photo | AP)

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has decided not to pursue any military actions against India in the aftermath of the abrogation of Article 370. Islamabad would rather seek political and legal responses to India's Kashmir decision, said foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. 

Pakistan is looking at diplomatic and legal options. We are not looking at military actions. India's additional deployment shows there are 9 lakh troops in Kashmir, more than anywhere in the world. Pakistan has decided to be vigilant,"  Qureshi said. 

Meanwhile, Pakistan banned Indian films from being screened in cinemas across the country. Firdous Ashiq Awan, special assistant to PM Imran Khan on Information and Broadcasting, claimed this action was in retaliation to India's abrogation of the Constitution's Article 370, which gave special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir and allowed it to have a separate constitution, a state flag and autonomy over the internal administration.

This is not the first time Pakistan has banned Indian films.

Apart from refusing release of various Indian films regularly on grounds of censorship, Pakistan has been refusing release of Indian films, particularly Bollywood products, almost every time the political atmosphere between the two nations becomes tense.

In recent times, Pakistan has banned various Hindi films owing to different reasons. While "Raazi", "Aiyyari", and "Parmanu: The Story Of Pokhran" are among films to have been banned owing to what Pakistan felt was politically objectionable content, "Mulk" was banned because the country's censor board felt the film's portrayal of Muslims in India was not right. "Pad Man", "Veere Di Wedding", and "Pari" have been among other films refused a release in Pakistan even at normal times.

Talking to the media outside Parliament House on Thursday, Awan claimed her government was making various efforts to highlight the current Kashmir situation internationally.

These include consultations at the United Nations by Pakistan's Representative Maleeha Lodhi, and contacting heads of governments of other countries, besides diplomatic engagements, reports dunyanews.tv.

Besides films, every other Indian cultural content has also been banned from Pakistan.

(With agency inputs)

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