The government has decided to release the film Joyland following a second review by a committee formed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, according to Salman Sufi, head of the Prime Minister’s Strategic Reforms.
“Freedom of expression is [a] fundamental right that should be nurtured within the confines of the law,” he said.
Here is the Tweet.
The film #Joyland has been cleared for release by the Censor board review committee formed at the direction of PM @CMShehbaz
— Salman Sufi (Get New Covid Booster Today) (@SalmanSufi7) November 16, 2022
Freedom of speech is fundamental right & should be nourished within ambits of the law. #JoylandBan https://t.co/vQodv7fjOk
Last On Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz formed an eight-member committee to investigate complaints that the film was “against social and moral norms” and make recommendations for further action. The committee was chaired by the minister for political affairs, economic affairs, and law and justice, as well as the ministers for information and broadcasting, communications, board of investment, information technology and telecommunications, adviser to the Prime Minister on Gilgit-Baltistan, PTA chairman, and PEMRA chairman.
See More: Government Bans Joyland & Celebrities Demand To Revoke The Decision
The committee determined that certain scenes in the film needed to be cut. It has decided to release the film, but the government has not yet removed the notification of its ‘uncertified’ status. This is required in order for the film to be cleared.
The committee was formed in response to a massive social media outcry over the withdrawal of Joyland’s censorship certificate. All censor boards in the country approved the film, but it ran into trouble after complaints were filed to the Central Board of Film Censors by people who had not even seen it. After receiving complaints that “the film contains highly objectionable material that does not conform with the social values and moral standards of our society and is clearly repugnant to the norms of ‘decency and morality; as laid down in Section 9 of the Motion Picture Ordinance, 1979,” the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting cancelled its exhibition licence issued months earlier, and the federal government declared Joyland “uncertified.”
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