“How do we ban the already banned?” Banning Pakistani Artistes Is Not The Solution, Says Films Association

 Actor  Sushant Singh General Secretary of the Cine  & TV Artistes Association(CINTAA)  feels  the Government  needs  to take some hard decisions and solid steps to isolate  Pakistan rather than simply  look towards the Indian entertainment industry  for  a ban.

Says Sushant angrily,  “How do we ban the already banned? No, the first reaction is we shouldn’t allow Pakistani Artistes to work in India. Please wake up and look around, the film Industry has not been working with Pakistani Artistes since the Uri attack.”

    Sushant says there has been a complete  ban on Pakistani artistes  in  Bollywood. “Post Uri attack, Producers and Federation had banned Pakistani artists. Did the Govt take any official stand? No.”

  Why, asks  Sushant,  was  Pakistan given special status?   “I asked in every interview and debate, why is the Govt not revoking the Most Favoured Nation status granted to Pakistan? Why don’t we break all economic relations and put pressure on Pakistan to act against terrorists operating from their soil? No action whatsoever.”

   Sushant also calls  for a ban  on cricket matches between the two countries. “ Indo-Pak matches happened, nobody protested. Rather, they cheered. Our soldiers kept getting killed in Kashmir and on the border. Did we put any international and economic pressure on Pakistan? Any sanctions? Zilch. Now the Govt wakes up and withdraws the MNF status of Pakistan, after 40 soldiers are killed in a cowardly attack. The most important question should be, how did this catastrophic intelligence failure and security lapse happen? Not whether  Pakistani artistes are working in India.”