Nuclear rivals acting up: India calls for Pakistani artists to be blacklisted after Bollywood ban

An Indian film union has urged Bollywood to blacklist all Pakistani artists after Islamabad announced that its country’s cinemas would no longer screen Indian movies, in a feud prompted by the ongoing Kashmir crisis.

The All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) called on the Indian film industry to “put a complete stop to any association with Pakistani artists, musicians and diplomats.”

The announcement, made in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stated that AICWA was “demanding” a “strict ‘say no to Pakistan’ policy for trade and bilateral relations.”

The letter claims that union members have refused to resume work until the blacklist and ban are implemented.

The union’s ultimatum comes after Islamabad announced that it would stop screening Indian films in cinemas.

“No Indian cinema will be screened in any Pakistani cinema. Drama, films, and Indian content of this kind will be completely banned in Pakistan,” an adviser to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Thursday.

The cinema feud is the latest fallout from rapidly deteriorating relations between India and Pakistan, following New Delhi’s decision to suspend Kashmir’s special status.

A similar vendetta emerged in February after India’s air force attacked alleged terrorist targets in Pakistan. After the airstrikes, Pakistani Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry ordered an embargo on all Indian-made films and advertisements.

The AICWA had called for a blacklist on all Pakistan actors earlier that month, after a terrorist attack, reportedly staged from inside Pakistan, killed 40 members of India’s security forces who were stationed in Kashmir.

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