Have you ever wondered why a Pakistani film suddenly disappears from cinemas?
Or why does a foreign film get screened with entire scenes cut out?
The answer almost always leads back to one law, the Motion Pictures Ordinance 1979.
This law has been quietly running Pakistan’s entire film censorship system for over four decades. It decides what you can watch in a cinema. It determines which films get banned. And it gives the government the power to pull a certified film off screens overnight.
Yet most people, including filmmakers, don’t fully understand how it works.
In this guide, you’ll get a clear, plain-language breakdown of the Motion Pictures Ordinance 1979: where it came from, what it actually says, how it affects the film industry today, and whether it’s still fit for purpose in 2026.
Before the Motion Pictures Ordinance 1979, Pakistan’s film industry was governed by two much older British-era laws:
Here’s the problem with those laws.
When Pakistan was created in 1947, film censorship was a provincial subject. That meant Lahore, Karachi, and Dhaka each had their own censor board. A film certified in Lahore could not be screened in Karachi without going through censorship all over again.
Different boards, different standards, different decisions for the same film.
It was messy, inconsistent, and inefficient.
By the late 1970s, under President Zia-ul-Haq’s government, the need for a unified national framework became clear. So on 3rd September 1979, the Motion Pictures Ordinance 1979 was promulgated, repealing both older laws and replacing them with a single, nationwide system.
The Motion Pictures Ordinance 1979 is a Pakistani law that governs:
In simple terms, no film can legally be shown in a Pakistani cinema without a certificate from the CBFC under this ordinance.
That applies to Pakistani films, imports, short films, trailers, and documentaries.
The CBFC is the body this ordinance created to actually implement the law.
Here’s how it works:
The government constitutes the Board through an official notification. It includes a Chairman, a Vice Chairman, and between five and ten members. The Board operates offices in Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi.
But here’s an important distinction.
Pakistani producers can apply for certification at any of the three offices. Imported films, however, can only be certified in Islamabad. Films from foreign diplomatic missions are also examined in Islamabad only.
Once a film is submitted, the Board watches it and decides whether to:
This section defines key terms used throughout the law.
A film under this ordinance includes any cinematograph film, meaning any visual recording intended for public exhibition through a projector or similar device. This definition, written in 1979, does not specifically address digital streaming or online platforms, a gap we’ll come back to.
A cinematograph includes any apparatus for projecting films.
Exhibition means showing a film to any audience for entertainment or instruction.
This is the practical heart of the law.
Before any film is shown publicly, the producer or distributor must apply to the Board for certification. The Board examines the film and, if approved, issues a certificate of exhibition.
The certificate specifies:
Without this certificate, showing the film is illegal.
This is the section everyone talks about, and for good reason.
Section 6(1) states that a film shall NOT be certified if, in the Board’s opinion, the film or any part of it is:
Section 6(2) allows the government to issue a Censorship Code to further guide the Board.
That censorship code covers things like: glorification of crime or vice, content offensive to any religious group, material that undermines social values, and scenes involving excessive violence or explicit content.
These grounds are deliberately broad. And that’s exactly why this section is so controversial we’ll discuss that shortly.
This is the section that allows a film to be banned even after it’s already been certified and released.
If the federal government decides a certified film is prejudicial to any of the grounds listed in Section 6, it can decertify the film, effectively banning it from all screens nationwide.
This is the power used in cases like the 2016 Maalik controversy.
This section formally repealed the Cinematograph Act 1918 and the Censorship of Films Act 1963, the two laws that came before.It also ensured that anything done under those old laws remained valid unless inconsistent with the new ordinance.
When the 18th Amendment to Pakistan’s Constitution was passed in 2010, it transferred a number of subjects from the federal government to the provinces. Film censorship was one of them.
This changed everything.
The Motion Pictures Ordinance 1979 originally a federal law, was devolved to the provinces. Punjab subsequently passed its own Punjab Motion Pictures (Amendment) Act, 2012, which adapted the ordinance for the province and changed references from “Federal Government” to “Provincial Government.”
This means today there are effectively provincial censor boards operating under their own versions of the law.
The practical result? A film banned by the federal CBFC could theoretically be allowed by a provincial government, at least for cinemas outside cantonment areas. That’s exactly what happened with Maalik in 2016, when KP offered to allow screenings while the federal ban was still in place.
The film Maalik, a political drama depicting corruption, was certified and released in April 2016. Three weeks later, the federal government invoked Section 9 and declared it “uncertified,” effectively banning it.
The reason? The film allegedly depicted parallels with a real political assassination and was accused of inciting political unrest.
The KP government pushed back, arguing that post-18th Amendment, censorship was a provincial matter for civilian cinemas. The federal board countered that most cinemas in KP are in cantonment areas, which fall under federal jurisdiction.
It was a textbook clash between federal and provincial authority under this very ordinance.
For decades, Pakistani cinemas have not screened Indian films. But here’s what’s interesting, the Motion Pictures Ordinance 1979 never explicitly bans Indian films.
Section 6 gives grounds for refusal, and Section 9 allows decertification. But no provision says “Indian films are banned.”
The bar on Indian content appears to stem from a combination of a Martial Law Order from Ayub Khan’s era (post-1965 war), import policy restrictions, and administrative inaction, not a clear legislative ban under this ordinance.
Honestly? Many legal scholars and filmmakers say yes.
Here’s why.
The ordinance was written in 1979. It defines film in terms of cinematograph projection. Streaming platforms Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon Prime don’t technically fall under this law. Pakistan has no comprehensive OTT regulation to fill the gap.
Terms like “glory of Islam” and “decency or morality” are not defined anywhere in the law. That leaves enormous discretionary power with the Board power that can be used selectively.
Article 19 of Pakistan’s Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and expression. Critics argue that the broad grounds in Section 6 give the government censorship powers that can clash with this constitutional right, especially when politically sensitive films are targeted.
Unlike most countries that use tiered classification (G, PG, PG-13, R, etc.), Pakistan’s system is essentially binary certified or not certified. There is no formal age-based classification system built into the law, though the Board does have some informal practices.
You cannot exhibit your film publicly without a CBFC certificate. Apply early; the process takes time. If your film deals with politically sensitive themes, prepare for cuts or potential refusal under Section 6.
Showing an uncertified film even briefly is a legal violation. Keep your certificates valid and check for any revocation notices under Section 9. Cantonment cinemas fall under federal jurisdiction regardless of the province.
Your application must go through the Islamabad office only. Diplomatic film screenings are also handled there. Budget for potential cuts before certification.
You are currently operating in a legal grey area. The 1979 ordinance does not clearly cover digital exhibition. But regulatory attention is growing, and it’s only a matter of time before a formal OTT framework is introduced.
So let’s talk about where things actually stand today.
Here’s a number that should alarm everyone in the industry.
Pakistan had around 150 cinema screens in 2024. By mid-2025, that number had dropped to approximately 110 screens.
That’s 40 screens gone in less than a year.
The reasons are layered, rising electricity costs, low local film production, OTT competition, and high ticket prices pushing ordinary audiences away. But the outdated censorship framework under the Motion Pictures Ordinance 1979 is part of the problem too.
Filmmakers and distributors say the unpredictability of the certification process, where a film can be pulled even after release, makes it difficult to attract serious investment into Pakistani cinema.
Streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and local services like Hum TV’s streaming arm continue to grow Pakistani audiences completely outside the Motion Pictures Ordinance 1979’s reach.
Pakistan still has no comprehensive OTT regulation as of 2026.
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) regulates broadcast television. But its mandate does not clearly extend to internet-based streaming. The 1979 ordinance covers cinematograph exhibition. Neither body has clear, enforceable authority over streaming content.
This creates a situation where a film that gets cut or banned for cinema release can simply be watched on a streaming platform with no legal barrier.
In a positive development, the Maryam Nawaz-led Punjab government announced a film grant scheme in 2025 to support the struggling local industry.
The scheme received over 255 applications before submissions closed in mid-May 2025. This is the first significant government-level financial intervention for the film sector in recent memory.
But industry insiders note that financial support without legal reform is only half the solution. Unless the censorship framework under the Motion Pictures Ordinance 1979 is modernised, filmmakers will continue to face uncertainty even with funding in hand.
A 2026 study published in the Journal of Management & Social Science confirmed what practitioners have been saying for years.
The research found that Pakistan’s film censorship system remains centralized and non-transparent even after constitutional devolution. The broad morality and religious provisions in the Motion Pictures Ordinance 1979 continue to give regulators wide discretionary authority, creating a chilling effect on creative risk-taking.
The study called for a more transparent, accountable, and structured classification system, moving away from the current binary certified/not certified model.
The informal ban on Indian films in Pakistani cinemas re-enforced in 2019 following the India-Pakistan border tensions remains in place as of 2026.
This continues to hurt Pakistani cinema owners commercially. Industry voices like distributor Nadeem Mandviwalla have argued that allowing Indian films back, under proper regulation, could bring audiences back to cinemas and generate the revenue needed to sustain the exhibition industry.
But the political climate makes any formal change unlikely in the near term, and the Motion Pictures Ordinance 1979 remains the legal framework through which any future policy change would have to be implemented.
Legal experts and filmmakers broadly agree on what’s needed.
A reformed framework should include a tiered age-based rating system (U, UA, A, Adult) rather than just certified vs. not certified. It should include clear, defined criteria for refusal not vague terms like “decency” or “morality.” It should have an independent appeals process free from political influence. And it absolutely must address digital and OTT exhibition with a separate, updated regulatory framework.
Until that reform happens, the Motion Pictures Ordinance 1979 will continue to govern Pakistan’s film industry, a 46-year-old law trying to regulate a 21st-century industry.
Understanding Pakistan’s film laws is one thing dealing with certification refusals, censorship disputes, or legal action is another.
Whether your film has been denied certification, scenes have been cut, or you are facing regulatory or legal issues, MAH&CO. provides legal support tailored to Pakistan’s entertainment and media industry.
With offices in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, the firm advises filmmakers, distributors, cinema owners, production houses, and investors on matters involving film certification, censorship disputes, intellectual property protection, criminal defence, and regulatory compliance.
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Understanding Pakistan’s film laws is one thing; dealing with certification issues, censorship disputes, or criminal complaints is another.
That’s where MAH&CO. can help.
With offices in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad, MAH&CO. advises filmmakers, distributors, cinema owners, production houses, and businesses on entertainment, regulatory, intellectual property, and criminal law matters across Pakistan.
Whether your film has been denied certification, scenes have been removed, an FIR has been filed, or you are facing a dispute under the Motion Pictures Ordinance 1979, the firm provides practical legal guidance tailored to your situation.
MAH&CO.’s team includes experienced criminal lawyers, dispute resolution advocates, and intellectual property lawyers who assist clients with censorship appeals, regulatory compliance, copyright protection, and media-related legal disputes.
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