ISLAMABAD - Afghan Cinema Association’s Representative Faridudin Azim at a panel discussion on Thursday urged the Pakistan media houses to work out a design for a joint production in documentary-film industry for boosting cultural linkages between the two neighbouring countries. “On behalf of the Afghan Cinema Association, I will welcome that if any Pakistani director contact me for designing a joint production [in the documentary industry],” he said in a debate arranged under Pak-Afghan Youth Forum Media Conclave on topic: ‘From Border to Bridges- Entertainment Industry to Sports Journalism’. The Afghan cinema would extend all possible support to Pakistani directors in that regard, he assured, adding it would also benefit Afghan industry which had to spend more expenditures in joint production with Indians. He said Indian cinema people also wanted to produce films in Afghanistan but they faced lingual, security and cultural issues which eventually burdened the production budget. Therefore, in a joint production with Pakistan which shared common language, culture and tradition with Afghanistan, there would be less expense in creating cinematic content.
 He said Afghanistan possessed mesmerizing landscapes and talent which could not be ignored.  “The best thing is that we have myriad of concepts which are not given serious consideration by any cinema industry.”

 Faridudin also called for holding music concerts and live shows in the two countries by their media industries so that the identities in two countries developed about each other through the lens of politics could be removed and bilateral ties could be improved with some social activities.   Underlining the need for removing misconception between the two countries through exchanges between their entertainment industries, he said such positive things could play a greater role in bringing the two nations more close to each other. 
Usman Peerzada, a renowned Pakistani actor, regarded film and drama artists as story tellers who played an important role in telling stories about the land and its heroes. “There is no shortage of stories shared by our ancestors on both sides of Durand Line, so it is the high time for us to revisit those stories to sensitize our generations about our history.”
“Pakistan and Afghanistan have so many things in common and if we can make co-production with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka then why not Afghanistan,” Javed Sheikh, another film star, said and vowed to take a group of artists along with him to Afghanistan in near future in order to launch a ‘big project’ in that regard.
Javed said he would soon announce a co-production with Afghanistan film and drama industry to bridge cultural gap between two countries.
Waheed Khan, head of an Afghan-based think tank, said the role of think tanks and media of two countries was imperative to promote people-to-people contact. 
He, however, regretted that some media houses made judgments that ‘actually create mistrust’ between the two countries.