Ban on film 'Maalik' illegal, rules Pakistani court

Karachi, Sep 6 (IANS) A provincial court in Pakistan on Tuesday overturned a ban on a movie “Maalik” months after the federal information industry put a ban on the release of the film.

Director Ashir Azeem had challenged the ban placed by the federal government on screening the Urdu feature film nationwide.

In its reply, the federal government had declared that showing a former Afghan extremist character in the movie as a celebrated hero was one of the reasons behind the ban.

Headed by Sindh High Court Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, a two-judge bench pronounced the verdict which was previously reserved after hearing arguments from the film director’s lawyer, additional attorney general, and others.