Award-Winning ‘Ghost School’ Film Ban in Sindh Challenged in High Court

KARACHI, PAKISTAN — WEB DESK: The makers of the internationally recognised film Ghost School have approached the Sindh High Court (SHC), challenging the provincial film censor board’s refusal to approve the movie for public exhibition in Sindh.

The Sindh High Court issued notices to the provincial government and other respondents on the petition and directed them to submit their responses by August 21.

The legal challenge comes despite the film having received clearance for exhibition from the Central Board of Film Censors and the Punjab censor authorities, according to the petitioners.

Filmmakers challenge censor board decision

Advocate Moez Baig, representing the petitioners, told the court that while the central and Punjab censor boards had permitted the film’s exhibition, the Sindh Board of Film Censors had declined to approve its screening in the province.

The petitioners are challenging the legality of that decision and the process through which it was made.

Baig argued that under the Sindh Motion Pictures Act, 2011, authorities can refuse certification to a film only on legally prescribed grounds.

According to the arguments presented before the court, those grounds can include content considered contrary to religious sensitivities, national security, Pakistan’s international relations or standards of morality.

The petitioners maintain that the provincial censor board’s decision concerning Ghost School does not fall within those statutory grounds.

Film highlights Pakistan’s ‘ghost schools’

The film focuses on the issue of so-called “ghost schools” — educational institutions that may exist in official records but are non-functional or lack the teachers, students, facilities or resources required to operate effectively.

According to the petitioners’ lawyer, Ghost School has also received international recognition, winning an award for best direction at an Asian film festival in the United Kingdom.

The filmmakers argue that the movie addresses an important social and educational issue rather than containing material that would justify preventing its exhibition under the relevant provincial law.

Petition raises due-process concerns

The filmmakers have also challenged the procedure followed before the decision was taken.

Baig told the court that his clients were neither issued a show-cause notice nor provided an opportunity to present their position before the film was denied clearance.

The petition therefore raises questions not only about the substantive grounds for the censor board’s decision but also about whether appropriate procedural safeguards were followed.

The case highlights differences that can emerge between Pakistan’s film certification authorities, with a movie potentially receiving clearance in some jurisdictions while encountering restrictions in another.

The Sindh High Court has sought responses from the Sindh government and other parties concerned by August 21, when the legal dispute over the film’s exhibition is expected to move forward.

Until the court or the provincial authorities take further action, Ghost School remains without approval for public exhibition in Sindh.