Central Films Censor Board’s powers devolved
ISLAMABAD: Central Films Censor Board Chairman Syed Arshad Ali maintained that the powers had been devolved to the provinces after 18th Amendment and now the provinces could constitute their own film censor boards but the provinces would not be able to censor the films for the entire country.
Ali, recently appointed by the federal government as chairman of the board, has worked as additional secretary Cabinet Division.Central Films Censor Board was working under the Ministry of National Regulation and Services but a month ago, it was put under the Cabinet Division.
The central Censor Board has now been reconstituted and Saraj Ahmed has been appointed as its vice chairman. Its members include Higher Education Commission Chairman Dr javed Leghari, Ministry of Information Director Tahir Husain, Brig Shujaa Hasan Khawzmi of ISI, Brig Syed Mujtaba Tirmizi of ISPR, DIG Police Islamabad Sultan Azam Temori, PEMRA Director General Muhammad Farooq, PTV Deputy Mangaining Director Hamad Ghaznavi, Nadeem Akhtar Advocate, Arshad Sami Khan, Malik Fakharul Islam Noon, Rehna Pervez, Waris Baig, Hafiz Tahir Khalilm Mussadaq Ahmed Shah, Mrs Shahzia Akbar Abbassi, Nawabzada Sardar Gulam Abbass Lashari, Muhammad Yousaf Malik and Naveed Malik.
Borad Chairman Syed Arshad Ali told The News/Jang that after the devolution of power, provinces get the powers to constitute their own Film Censor Boards. “Except Sindh, no other province yet constituted their censor boards. The Sindh Assembly on February 14 approved Sindh Motion Pictures Act,” he added.
He said it was written in the Sindh Motion Pictures Act that it would only be implemented in the territorial limits of the province of Sindh. “The other provincial assemblies could also legislate their laws for their province but cannot implement their laws in the entire Pakistan,” he added.
He said no provincial censor board can issue certificate for exhibiting a film in all provinces of the country. “Only Central Film Censor Board had a power to issue certificate for showing a film through Pakistan as the provincial board could only issue the censor certificates for films to be shown in the province concerned,” he added.
He said it is the responsibility of the Central Censor Board to censor imported films and films of the foreign embassies. “No provincial censor board has a power to censor imported films,” he added.
For this reason, the Central Censor Film Board has objected to the exhibition of Indian film “Go Goa Gone” in Sindh, which has been issued censor certificate by Sindh government. “But the Central Board re-censored it and allowed its exhibition Pakistan,” he added.
Source: The News
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