KARACHI: Actors, producers and directors in Pakistan took to the streets of Karachi in the upscale Clifton neighborhood on Sunday to protest against what they say is the illegal telecast of foreign shows on during prime time.
Holding placards inscribed with slogans and demands, they urged the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take action against the “illegal practice” of the entertainment channels.
“The Pakistani entertainment channels should run Pakistani content only but they are telecasting foreign content in excess of its limit during prime time – 1900 hours to 2300 hours (Pakistani time) – which should be dedicated to air Pakistani dramas only,” said Fazyla Lashari, a Pakistani drama artist.
“According to the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) — the body that regulates news, sports and entertainment channels in the country — a Pakistani channel can air only 6 percent of foreign content in 24 hours,” actor Hasan Soomro, told Arab News, adding that those 6 percent foreign content should not even be aired during prime time.
“The channels are airing 30 to 90 percent foreign content — mostly Indian dramas — and there is no Pakistani drama currently being run during the prime time,” Soomro said.
“We feel ashamed that being Pakistanis, we are staging protests to bring Pakistani content to the country’s own channels during prime time, where advertisement rates are high,” Soomro lamented. Their main slogan is “7 to 11, Sirf Hamara,” which translates to mean “7 pm to 11 pm only belongs to us.”
There has been an influx of Indian and Turkish content over the last decade, causing a serious blow to the local entertainment industry.
“No one burns the stoves of others by putting out his own,” said Hina Khawaja Bayat, a Kashmiri actress who has appeared in several television dramas, explaining that it was having a huge financial impact on the people working in the film industry.
Soomro said local drama production has been reduced to 30 percent.
“We urge the Chief Justice of Pakistan to listen to us, we are Pakistanis and we are fighting for Pakistan,” the TV actor said.
“This is not just about actors; it’s about make-up artists, technicians; it’s about the men who work on daily wages to earn a meager livelihood for their families. This is about the entire film industry,” said producer and director Sohail Hashmi.
Hashmi said many drama crews have lost their daily wages due to massive cuts in local content production. He defended the quality of Pakistani productions, saying the influx of Indian, Turkish and other foreign shows does not mean the quality of Pakistani dramas, which are well-received across the globe, is inferior.
Bayat had previously taken part in other campaigns against Indian content, along with famous actors like Mustafa Qureshi, Qavi Khan, Abid Ali, Bushra Ansari, Faisal Qureshi, and many others in 2012.
She urged PEMRA to take notice of the violation of its laws because it is not just about the dramas but about many people’s livelihoods associated with the industry.
Bayat admitted that the drive of December 2012 did not fully succeed and several protesters eventually joined the channels, taking up important positions without questioning their illegal practices. But she is confident that this time, the campaign against increased airtime for foreign content will be taken to a level that will yield results.
“Besides appealing to Chief Justice of Pakistan to take notice, we will soon start meeting with the parliamentarians to build up the pressure,” Bayat said.
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