Zardari for lifting of restrictions on film trade with India
If Pakistan's ruling PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari had his way, the film trade with India would be liberalised tomorrow and people of both countries would be able to cross borders with few restrictions.
By PTI |
ISLAMABAD: If Pakistan's ruling PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari had his way, the film trade with India would be liberalised tomorrow and people of both countries would be able to cross borders with few restrictions.
"I would open up movie trade tomorrow. I can press a button (on a TV remote) and I can watch an Indian movie but I can't let the Indian movies into (Pakistani) movie halls. How stupid can you get?" said 52-year-old Zardari.
The screening of Indian films has been banned in Pakistan since the 1965 war though Islamabad has allowed a small number of Bollywood movies to be imported over the past two years.
In a wide-ranging interview with PTI, the PPP Chairman spoke about the ban on Indian movies, the need to increase people-to-people contacts and ease travel restrictions on citizens of both countries.
"One can rent a DVD (of a Bollywood movie) for Rs 10 or Rs 20 and that is allowed but the movies are not allowed? I can allow all the foreigners to come in (to Pakistan) but I won't allow the Indians to come in," he said.
"What can India do to us? Does India want 180 million Muslim Pakistanis? No," he said with a laugh.
ADVERTISEMENT
Expressing a certain amount of impatience with the pace of the peace talks between the two countries, Zardari said: "If I had the powers that everybody else has, I would just sit there and say from today, I hereby give a chief executive's order that all you need is a passport and some modern (gadget) because I have to keep my army on board. "Put a ring around your wrist and walk into Pakistan, so they can monitor through the GPS system (so) that they are not going to any of the (restricted) areas. They're not running away to Afghanistan or the Taliban. Let the people come. Make the highways, train stations, roads come and welcome to Pakistan and welcome to India."
Download
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
Download
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
ADVERTISEMENT
