A screen for Peshawar

Pakistani cinema saw its downfall in the 1980s when Ziaul Haq introduced his Islamisation policies. Certain restrictions were enforced on the industry and people were discouraged to visit cinemas. In the following decades, the Pakistani film industry struggled — even reaching the brink of collapse. However, in the recent past the industry has picked up the pace. Shoaib Mansoor’s ‘Bol’ in 2011 is said to have revived Pakistani cinema. This was followed by many successful films. Now the industry has started attracting eminent filmmakers and investors. One way to develop the film industry in Pakistan is to increase the number of screens across the country. As a resident of Peshawar, I see it as a failure of the government and cinema-affiliated private entities that there is not even a single screen in the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which has about two million people. I urge the government and the private sector to work on this matter.

Ahmad Khan

Peshawar