No cinema hall for 1.5 million residents of Islamabad

Islamabad, Mar. 29 (ANI): Due to absence of any functional cinema hall in Islamabad, millions of entertainment-starved residents of the Pakistani capital are forced to watch foreign movies broadcasted on the Cable TV network, leading to local cinema culture's dangerous downfall.

Islamabad's four cinema houses, including Melody Cinema at Melody Market, Kohsar Cinema in sector G-7 and two NAFDEC cinemas on Jinnah Avenue, Blue Area, have been non-functional for more than seven years due to government's negligence.

The 1.5 million-strong population in Islamabad is waiting for revival of cinema houses in the city to enjoy movies on big screen.

"In Islamabad people have no other option except to stay in homes and watch movies screened by the Cable TV network. The cinema going trend is still alive in the twin city Rawalpindi where the people are enjoying this entertainment," the Daily Times quoted one resident, as saying.

Sources said that the joint project of Cinepax and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to establish a five-screen cinema house with a setup of food courts, shopping mall and health club, is in doldrums due to dismal law and order situation in the city.

The construction of the basic structure of the cinema house had been started on 10 acres of land, but investors expressed their reservations about the project following some untoward incidents, they added.

So far, 850 out of 1,000 cinema houses have been closed down across Pakistan. (ANI)