The Sindh High Court (SHC) has directed the Sindh Board of Film Censors to reconsider its decision to bar the screening of Ghost School, a film focusing on “ghost schools” in the province.
A two-member SHC Constitutional Bench, headed by Justice Adnan-ul-Karim Memon, ordered the board to hear the filmmakers and issue a fresh, reasoned decision within 15 days.
The court directed the board to decide the application without being influenced by its earlier rejection of the film’s censor certificate.
British-Pakistani filmmaker Seemab Gul and associate producer Muhammad Yousuf Rehman had challenged the board’s decision, arguing that it had unlawfully refused permission to screen the film in Sindh.
During Friday’s hearing, the board’s secretary appeared before the court but was unable to provide a clear explanation for the rejection. The judges expressed displeasure over his failure to disclose the reasons and warned that the board’s chairman could be summoned.
The filmmakers’ counsel, Mirza Moiz Baig, told the court that the board had previously cleared the film for public exhibition, but its provincial ban meant it could only be screened in Karachi’s cantonment areas.
The petitioners argued that Ghost School had received international recognition, including the Best Director award at the UK Asian Film Festival, while also being screened at the Toronto and Red Sea international film festivals.
They further contended that the Sindh Motion Pictures Act, 2011 allows refusal of a censor certificate only on specific grounds, including threats to public order, morality, national security or friendly relations with foreign states.
The filmmakers also argued that they were not issued a show-cause notice before the ban and were denied an opportunity to present their case.
