KARACHI: The makers of the film ‘Ghost School’ have approached the Sindh High Court challenging the refusal to grant permission for its screening in the province.

A division bench of the Sindh High Court heard the petition on Saturday and issued notices to the Sindh government, the Sindh Board of Film Censors and other respondents, seeking their response by August 21.

The petition was argued by Advocate Moeez Baig on behalf of the filmmakers.

He submitted before the court that the film has been cleared for public exhibition by the Central Board of Film Censors and the Punjab Censor Board, but the Sindh Board of Film Censors has withheld approval for its exhibition in Sindh without assigning any clear reason.

It may be mentioned here that the film draws its title from a long-standing issue in the province’s education sector.

The term “ghost schools” is commonly used to refer to thousands of government-funded educational facilities that exist only on paper or remain non-operational due to corruption, teacher absenteeism and administrative neglect. Estimates suggest that thousands of such non-functional schools and ghost teachers continue to drain public funds across Sindh, an issue that has been repeatedly highlighted in official reports and public discourse.

Counsel contended that the film seeks to highlight this very issue and has already received international recognition, having won the Best Director award at the Asian Film Festival in the UK.

Advocate Baig further argued that under the Sindh Motion Pictures Act, 2011, a censor certificate can only be denied on specific legal grounds, including content that is against religion, national security, international relations, or public morality.

He submitted that the Sindh Board’s decision does not fall within any of the grounds prescribed under the law and that there is no legal justification for stopping the film’s screening.

He also submitted that the filmmakers were not issued a show-cause notice nor afforded an opportunity of hearing before the impugned decision was taken, which he termed a violation of due process.

After hearing the initial arguments, the court issued notices to all parties and adjourned the matter till August 21 for submission of responses.

The worst situation of education sector

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