The Pakistani government might lift a 39-year ban on the screening of Bollywood movies that distributors and exhibitors here have been demanding for long, Online news agency reports.

Citing the deteriorating state of affairs of Pakistan's cinema industry due to the lack of quality movies being produced, cinema owners have been asking for permission to screen Bollywood movies to improve their bottom lines.

This would be in keeping with the rapidly improving ties between the two nations, cinema owners and distributors have said. However, some sections of the film industry say the ban, imposed after the India-Pakistan war of 1965, should stay. Well-known actor Yousaf Khan has announced he would move the courts if the ban was lifted.

Bollywood movies are a huge hit in Pakistan with pirated editions available in markets around the country soon after their release in India.