Film, drama industry should promote local culture: PM Imran Khan

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday urged the country’s film and drama industry to come up with a quality local production to provide the youth with a welcoming Ertugrul-like alternative of substandard and glamourised content.

“If the Pakistani film and drama industry presents quality local production, it will not only progress but also provide the youth with the alternative of substandard and glamourised content, which will be welcomed like Ertugrul,” he said.

The prime minister expressed these views during a meeting in Islamabad with the founding team of popular Turkish drama serial Ertugrul led by Kemal Tekden.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz, Kashmir Committee Chairman Shehryar Khan Afridi, and the representatives of the Turkish and Pakistan film industry were present in the meeting.

The meeting discussed in detail the proposed television series based on the role of renowned sub-continent personality Turk Lala in the Khilafat Movement, to be produced through cooperation between Turkey and Pakistan. The prime minister said Pakistani dramas were very popular in the world until the decade of 1980s.

He said the Pakistani film and drama industry were needed to work for the promotion of local culture so that the West-inspired youth could be made aware of their true culture and saved from social evils faced by the new generation of neighbouring countries due to the telecast of Western content.

The prime minister further said it was unfortunate that the new generation was not aware of the golden era of Muslims’ rule in the Sub-continent.

Efforts should be made to foil the designs of propaganda mongers by producing films and dramas on that golden era, he added.

Chairman of Kashmir Committee Shehryar Khan Afridi apprised the meeting of the important role of Turk Lala in the Khilafat Movement and his importance in Turkey. The meeting also highlighted the importance of creating awareness among the youth about their heroes in history.

Kemal Tekden, while appreciating the prime minister’s decision to telecasting Turkish dramas in Pakistan, said Imran Khan and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shared the vision that the creation of awareness among the youth about their history and culture was vital for the development of a country.

Besides that, he told the prime minister that June 30 was celebrated as a national day in Turkey every year in honour of Turk Lala.

Television series on Turk Lala would not only create awareness among the youth about Khilafat Movement but also add a new chapter in Pak-Turkey relations, he added.

The premier, while appreciating the project of the proposed television series on Turk Lala, assured full cooperation of the government.

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