Central Board of Film Censors
Encyclopedia
The Central Board of Film Censors (CBFC) is the regulatory
body and censorship
board of Pakistan
. The CBFC is governed by the Motion Picture Ordinance, 1979 and rules made there under. The prime statuary function of the CBFC is censorship of films. With its Head office at Islamabad headed by the Chairman, has two branches at Lahore and Karachi. The CBFC examines the films in the light of the Censorship Code provided by the Federal Government.
, Karachi
and Dhaka
under the Cinematograph Act, 1918. Films certified by one Board could not be exhibited in another province without undergoing the process of Censorship in that province. Sometimes a film passed by one Board was declared unsuitable for exhibition in the other province by their respective Board. In order to bring uniformity in the decision of the Boards and to mitigate the film producers/importers inconvenience and financial hardships, the subject of Censorship was centralized through enactment of the
Censorship of Films Act, 1963 in November, 1963. the head office remained at
Rawalpindi
from 1963 to 1975 and was shifted to Islamabad
. As a first step two branches of the Board were established at Rawalpindi and Dhaka considering in view the geographical configuration of the country. Subsequently, on persistent demand of the Film Industry, one more branch of the Board was established at Lahore. After fall of Dhaka in 1971 a new branch was established at Karachi in its place in 1972. in September 1979, the Motion Pictures Ordinance 1979 was
promulgated which repealed the Censorship of Film Act, 1963 and the Cinematograph
Act, 1918.
examined by the Board only at Islamabad. Films belonging to Foreign Missions are also examined at Islamabad.
The Motion Pictures Ordinance, 1979 and the rules made there under focus upon the broad policy framework and administrative procedures for the certification of films for public exhibition. The film censorship code covers all the important aspects of society and lays down the guiding principles for film making in Pakistan. To make the film industry abide by the code for censorship, strict policy measures are adopted from time to time and, while certifying films, every effort is
made to ensure that no scene, dance or dialogue gets through which is derogatory to the accepted moral standards of the society.
While examining films, the CBFC eliminates public exhibition of a film or any part thereof which is likely to:
Regulation
Regulation is administrative legislation that constitutes or constrains rights and allocates responsibilities. It can be distinguished from primary legislation on the one hand and judge-made law on the other...
body and censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
board of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. The CBFC is governed by the Motion Picture Ordinance, 1979 and rules made there under. The prime statuary function of the CBFC is censorship of films. With its Head office at Islamabad headed by the Chairman, has two branches at Lahore and Karachi. The CBFC examines the films in the light of the Censorship Code provided by the Federal Government.
History
At the time of creation of Pakistan the Censorship of Films was a provincial subject and different Boards were functioning at LahoreLahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
and Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
under the Cinematograph Act, 1918. Films certified by one Board could not be exhibited in another province without undergoing the process of Censorship in that province. Sometimes a film passed by one Board was declared unsuitable for exhibition in the other province by their respective Board. In order to bring uniformity in the decision of the Boards and to mitigate the film producers/importers inconvenience and financial hardships, the subject of Censorship was centralized through enactment of the
Censorship of Films Act, 1963 in November, 1963. the head office remained at
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
from 1963 to 1975 and was shifted to Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
. As a first step two branches of the Board were established at Rawalpindi and Dhaka considering in view the geographical configuration of the country. Subsequently, on persistent demand of the Film Industry, one more branch of the Board was established at Lahore. After fall of Dhaka in 1971 a new branch was established at Karachi in its place in 1972. in September 1979, the Motion Pictures Ordinance 1979 was
promulgated which repealed the Censorship of Film Act, 1963 and the Cinematograph
Act, 1918.
Main functions
The main function of the Central Board of Film Censors is to examine suitability of films for public exhibition or otherwise under the guidelines provided by the Federal Government in the shape of film censorship code. Producers of locally produced films have the option to apply for Censorship of their films to any of the office of the Board at Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi whereas imported films areexamined by the Board only at Islamabad. Films belonging to Foreign Missions are also examined at Islamabad.
The Motion Pictures Ordinance, 1979 and the rules made there under focus upon the broad policy framework and administrative procedures for the certification of films for public exhibition. The film censorship code covers all the important aspects of society and lays down the guiding principles for film making in Pakistan. To make the film industry abide by the code for censorship, strict policy measures are adopted from time to time and, while certifying films, every effort is
made to ensure that no scene, dance or dialogue gets through which is derogatory to the accepted moral standards of the society.
While examining films, the CBFC eliminates public exhibition of a film or any part thereof which is likely to:
- I. Impair accepted moral standards and social value by glorification of vice or crime:
- II. Give offence to any section of the public or injured the feelings of any class of persons:
- III. Hurt national sentiments:
- IV. Contains dialogues, songs, speeches, dances, jokes or gesture which are obviously vulgar obscene or indecent:
- V. Undermines Islam: or
- VI. Ridicules, disparages or attacks any religious sect caste and creed.
CBFC Chairmen
- Anwar Hussain (1963-72)
- Aslam Siddiqui (1972-73)
- Jalalud Din (1973)
- Syed Abid Ali (1973-74)
- MMH Peerzada (1974-76)
- Syed Sajjad Haider Jillani (1976-77)
- Anwar Abbas Ansari (1977-82)
- Dr. Safdar Mahmood (1982-86)
- Brigadier(R) Abdur Rasheed (1986-88)
- Syed Sajjad Haider Jillani (1988-94)
- Jamal Khan Jogezai (1994-96)
- Malik Yasrab (1996-98)
- Malik Mohammad Rafique (1998)
- Prince Abbas Khan (2001-03)
- Ziauddin (2003-06)
- Ejaz Illahi Paracha (2006)
- Azfar Shafquat (2006-08)
- Barrister Malik Shahnawaz Noon (2008-present)http://www.app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=55460&Itemid=2