Vehemently opposing bringing Indian films to Pakistani cinemas, she said it should "never" happen.
"India has a different culture, Indians have a different mind-set and Indian movies should not be screened in Pakistan. We should produce our own movies. We are Muslims and we have to make films that depict our own culture," the Daily Times quoted the film actress as saying.
The Pakistani actress' comments came as a surprise even as she had recently announced her plans to settle down in Mumbai to take to her Bollywood career more seriously. She also cited the threats to her life from religious fundamentalists in Pakistan as another reason for shifting to Mumbai.
The film actress added: "Yes, I used to say that I am an ambassador of peace between India and Pakistan. But I won't say that now."
Asked why she had suddenly turned against screening of Indian films in Pakistan after having herself acted in Bollywood films, Meera said that she couldn't articulate her viewpoint, "but what she had observed while working in India was that the Indian films should not be screened in Pakistan."
Meera's second Indian film "Kasak" has just been released in India.
She is supposedly toeing the line of Pakistani Cultural Ministry, which lately turned around its last year's decision whereby it allowed screening of the Indian films in Pakistan.
According to the paper, there had been a decipherable change in the Pakistan's Ministry of Culture's approach to Indian films being exhibited in Pakistani cinemas. Of late, the federal government seems to have no soft corner for Indian films, and it could be gauged from the statement of State Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani, who said, "There is no question of screening Indian films in Pakistan until all political issues with India are settled, including the basic issue of Kashmir."
The federal government's last year's decision to allow screening of Indian films in Pakistan had
attracted a lot of criticism from some quarters of the Pakistani society, especially the religious
fundamentalists. The MMA opposed the decision, and threatened to accelerate their agitation
against the Pakistan government, if Indian films were allowed to be screened in Pakistani cinemas.
But, on the other hand, film bodies like the Film Exhibitors Association of Pakistan and the Cinema Owners' Association and Film Producers' Association had time and again asked the Pakistan government to allow exhibiting of Indian films, because there was a great demand in Pakistan for these films.
They threatened to close down cinema halls if screening of Indian films was not allowed, saying that Pakistani films did not attract people to cinema houses.
The paper quoted Cinema Management Association Chairman Qaiser Sanaullah Khan as saying that around three lakh people had lost their jobs because of the closure of cinemas. He added that if cricket and trade ties could be developed with India, why was cooperation not being sought in cinema.
