Acing on a directive from the culture ministry, Pakistan's censor board banned the screening of director Jag Mundhra's film, which is based on the impact of the July 7, 2005 London bombings on Muslims.

The censor board has cancelled the certificate it issued on November 11 for the screening of ‘Shoot On Sight’, in which Pakistani actor Mikaal Zulifqar plays a terrorist.

‘Shoot On Sight’, which has done good business in India, has faced several problems in Pakistan. The film's release was delayed for several weeks because a Pakistani actor, Mikaal Zulifqar, plays a terrorist in it.

Mundhra had told the media shortly before the release of his film in India: "In dialogue between Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri (the lead actors of the film), it is revealed that the character Zaheer (the terrorist) is from Pakistan. The Pakistanis didn't like it."

The film revolves around Tariq Ali, a Muslim police officer at Scotland Yard who is tasked to investigate the police shooting of a suspected Muslim terrorist in London. Ali is distrusted by his superiors and by fellow Muslims.

Shot entirely in London, the movie also stars Gulshan Grover, Laila Rouass and Greta Scacchi.

Meanwhile, Indian films are also no longer seem hot business for Pakistani distributors with most Bollywood fans giving them a miss in the wake of tensions in the aftermath of Mumbai terror attacks, which India has blamed on Pakistan- based elements including the Lashker-e-Taiba.

According to media reports, attendance in most cinema halls screening Bollywood films has dipped by almost 75 per cent.

A film distributor in Lahore told the ‘Daily Times’ newspaper that though Pakistanis love Bollywood films, few are showing up to see the movies after the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.

Lahore's Plaza Cinema manager Anwar said Indian films are being screened at three halls in his city. Plaza Cinema, which has a capacity of 850, has had only 50 people showing up to watch Indian films even on weekends.

Anwar said distributors might not buy more Indian films in the near future if they are unsure of recovering their investments.

An official at Sozo World Cinema said his hall had been screening two Indian films daily, including ‘Yuvraaj’ featuring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif. The film has failed to attract a full house despite the fan following of the two actors, the official said.

Pakistan Cinema Management Association chairman Qaiser Sanaullah Khan has said that in the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks, there has been a significant reduction in the demand for Indian films and exhibitors and distributors are reluctant to buy screening rights of new Bollywood movies.

There have been no takers for Shah Rukh Khan's much-awaited ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’ either. The release of the film, which was to hit Pakistani screens on the same day as India, has reportedly been postponed following the Mumbai attacks. ‘Rab Ne’ was simultaneously released on December 12 in over 30 countries.

"Shah Rukh Khan is a big star with a great market value, but no exhibitor is willing to take the risk to obtain the rights of the movie at such a high cost," Sanaullah Khan said.

According to reports, an Indian movie usually sells for Rs 7 million in Pakistan, an amount which is recovered in the first week itself. However, for ‘Rab Ne’ the Indian distributors wanted at least Rs 20 million.

Pakistanis, including Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, are huge Bollywood fans. Gilani, an ardent fan of Aishwarya Rai and Shah Rukh Khan, was presented a box-full of DVDs of Rai's films by visiting External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee in May.

The screening of Indian films was banned in Pakistan after the 1965 war. However, Islamabad has allowed a limited number of Bollywood movies to be imported over the past few years. Compared to India's production of over 1,000 movies a year, Pakistan's film industry makes just about 50 movies a year.