ISLAMABAD: The human rights committee of Pakistan’s upper house of parliament said on Tuesday it had reviewed the film ‘Zindagi Tamasha’ (Circus of Life) and found “nothing wrong” with its content contrary to outcry by religious hardliners earlier this year, adding that the film was okay to be screened at Pakistani cinemas once the coronavirus pandemic subsided.
The film’s release, scheduled for January 24, was suspended after religious groups objected to its portrayal of a struggling cleric. Renowned filmmaker Sarmad Khosat posted an open letter on his Twitter account saying he had received several threatening calls and messages over the film. He has repeatedly since said the film was not meant to hurt religious sensitivities but to shed light on growing intolerance in Pakistani society.
“Senate HR [human rights] committee has unanimously agreed with the censor board’s decision to allow screening of movie ‘Zindagi Tamasha’,” committee chair Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said on Twitter after Tuesday’s meeting in which the film was discussed. “We’ve found nothing wrong with it. Censor board has our go ahead to release the film post Covid.”
Pakistan’s ministry of information had earlier referred the matter to the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), Pakistan’s highest religious advisory body, but the Senate human rights panel said it would look at the matter itself.
Before religious groups cried foul, the film, which is about a cleric shunned after a video of him dancing at a wedding goes viral, had already been cleared by the country’s censor board. Its world premier was at the prestigious Busan International Film Festival last year where it won the top fiction prize.
Pakistan senate clears release of controversial film 'Zindagi Tamasha'
https://arab.news/rtrbs
Pakistan senate clears release of controversial film 'Zindagi Tamasha'
- Film’s January 24 release was suspended after hardliners objected to its portrayal of a struggling cleric
- Senate human rights panel says “nothing wrong” with film, can play at cinemas after coronavirus subsides
Pakistan to launch last 2025 anti-polio nationwide drive targeting 45 million children next week
- Over 400,000 frontline health workers will participate in Dec. 15-21 nationwide polio vaccination campaign, say authorities
- Pakistan is one of only two countries in the world, the other being Afghanistan, where wild poliovirus remains endemic
KARACHI: Pakistan will kick off the last nationwide anti-polio vaccination campaign of 2025 targeting 45 million children next week, the National Emergencies Operation Center (NEOC) said on Monday, urging parents to coordinate with health workers during the drive.
The campaign takes place days after Pakistan launched a nationwide vaccination drive from Nov. 17-29 against measles, rubella and polio. Pakistan said it had targeted 22.9 million children across 89 high-risk districts in the country with oral polio vaccination drops during the drive.
Over 400,000 health workers will perform their duties during the upcoming Dec. 15-21 nationwide polio vaccination campaign, the NEOC said in a statement.
“Parents are urged to cooperate with polio workers and ensure their children are vaccinated,” the NEOC said. “Complete the routine immunization schedule for all children up to 15 months of age on time.”
Health authorities aim to vaccinate 23 million children in Punjab, 10.6 million in Sindh, over 7.2 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, over 2.6 million in Balochistan, more than 460,000 in Islamabad, over 228,000 in Gilgit-Baltistan and more than 760,000 children in Pakistan-administered Kashmir during the seven-day campaign, it added.
Pakistan is one of only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus remains endemic.
Polio is a highly infectious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. The only effective protection is through repeated doses of the Oral Polio Vaccine for every child under five during each campaign, alongside timely completion of all routine immunizations.
Islamabad’s efforts to eliminate poliovirus have been hampered by parental refusals, widespread misinformation and repeated attacks on anti-polio workers by militant groups. In remote and volatile areas, vaccination teams often operate under police protection, though security personnel themselves have also been targeted and killed in attacks.
