Suspect charged after Vancouver car ramming leaves 11 dead    Suspect in killing of general claims he was paid by Ukraine    North Korea confirms troop deployment to Russia for first time    Rock & Roll Hall of Fame picks Outkast but not Oasis    400-800 year old giant coral colony discovered within AMAALA waters in the Red Sea    Makkah police arrest Yemeni and Egyptian suspects of fake Hajj campaign    Kafalah grants 1,900 loan guarantees worth over SR4.8 billion to SMEs during 1Q 2025    Council of Senior Scholars reaffirms performing Hajj without a permit is a sinful act    HR Ministry launches 'Ajeer Al-Hajj' service for seasonal work during Hajj 2025    stc reports strong first-quarter 2025 results with 11% rise in net profit    King and Crown Prince offer condolence to Iranian president over the deadly port explosion    Saudi Awwal Bank records SR2.1 billion net profit after zakat and income tax for 1Q25    Virgin Atlantic celebrates one month of nonstop service between London and Riyadh    Al Ahli cruise past Buriram into AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Duran leads Al Nassr past Yokohama Marinos into AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Saudi orchestra to perform at Sydney Opera House in May    Al Hilal thrash Gwangju to reach AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Saudi Theater Commission launches its Work and Learn Project in UK    The season has begun — and one comment shook us all    Average life expectancy in Saudi Arabia rises to78.8 years    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



First Pakistani film released in India
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 08 - 06 - 2008

The first Pakistani film to be screened in India in nearly 40 years has opened in the main city in Indian-controlled Kashmir, a cultural milestone for a region hit by a Muslim insurgency and border disputes.
The film generated interest across India when it opened in April, and movie operators hoped the story examining militant Islam would draw crowds to the only operating theater in Srinagar, the biggest city in India's only Muslim-majority state.
“I've heard a lot about this Pakistani film and I wanted to watch it,” said 25-year-old Shakeel Ahmed, who saw the movie Friday, the day it opened.
Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan. Both claim all of the Himalayan territory, and they have fought two wars over control of it since their independence from Britain in 1947.
The film, called “Khuda Kay Liye” (In the Name of God), was a record-breaking hit in Pakistan last year. The story centers on a young man drawn to militant Islam and his more liberal brother who moves to the United States and marries an American.
Despite the novelty of a Pakistani film and the cultural resonance of the plot, the movie is unlikely to sell out in Srinagar, a city where even movie theaters are fraught with political weight and violent history.
When the Muslim insurgency for a separate homeland or a merger with Pakistan was at its strongest in the early 1990s, rebel groups shut down liquor stores, bars, and any other establishment they saw as anti-Islamic or pro-Indian - movie theaters included. Srinigar's eight theaters were converted into makeshift army camps and detention centers where witnesses say torture was commonplace.
The Neelam Cinema reopened in 1999 as part of an attempt by authorities to bring life back to normal in Kashmir.
Crowds have been slow to return. Only 15 people came to see the first showing of “Khuda Kay Liye” on Friday.
“It's disappointing,” said Noor Mohammad, the cinema's manager. “In earlier days the traffic would jam outside for an average film.”
Officials have started organizing other cultural events in Kashmir.


Clic here to read the story from its source.