Middle East In 2013, the Pakistani drama
Humsafar was dubbed into
Arabic and broadcast by
MBC in the
Middle East as
Rafeeq-Al-Rooh. The show was immediately successful and, after its first few episodes were broadcast, became the channel's most-watched drama. Before this, Pakistani dramas were not broadcast in the Middle East. After
Humasafar, other shows such as
Malaal (aired as
Hob-Wa-Nadam),
Zindagi Gulzar Hai (aired as
Asrar Al Hob),
Khaani,
Aisi Hai Tanhai,
Suno Chanda and several others were also dubbed into Arabic and broadcast by MBC.
India Dramas such as
Deewarein,
Waris, and
Jungle were popular in India during the 1980s: Eventually, the
Indian government imposed a ban on Pakistani television channels in India. In 2009, the
Senate of Pakistan's broadcasting division appealed to the
Parliament of India to lift the ban. In 2012, India began debating whether to reverse the ban on Pakistani television channels. India assured Pakistan that it would consider a proposal by Pakistani foreign secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani to lift the ban. The channel aired syndicated television shows from Pakistan, and has been well received. It has been criticized, however, for showing dramas with a smaller number of episodes. To appease viewers, the channel aired hundreds of Pakistani television shows since then including
Aunn Zara,
Humsafar,
Pyarey Afzal,
Zindagi Gulzar Hai and
Meray Paas Tum Ho.
Zindagi Gulzar Hai became so popular that it was re-run one month after it ended its initial run in India. In July 2020, it was announced that
Zindagi will make its comeback digitally and brand will come with its 5 original Web Series including
Mrs. & Mr. Shameem,
Abdullah Pur Ka Devdas,
Churails,
Ek Jhoothi Love Story and
Dhoop Ki Deewar along with some old and new shows from Zindagi Library. Some already broadcast television series and some of the recent years such as
Diyar-e-Dil,
Mera Naam Yousuf Hai,
Mann Mayal,
Baaghi,
Behadd,
O Rangreza,
Ullu Baraye Farokht Nahi,
Shehr-e-Zaat,
Suno Chanda and many others started to premiere from July 2020 on
ZEE5 with a premium membership.
Star India began airing of
Mera Naam Yousuf Hai in 2015 on their channel
Star Plus and thus becoming the channel's first ever Pakistani drama. The series was aired in India, UAE, USA, Ireland, UK, Austria, Europe, Canada and Latin America. As per research study of Pakistani popular drama conducted by Indian scholar Jyoti Mehra, North Indian audience gets a sense of cultural familiarity which they can relate to while watching Pakistani drama. The study also gives credit to the content of Pakistani dramas for its comparative realism with fast pace, shorter duration and limited number of episodes for its acceptability among Indian audience. Pakistani television shows are aired on
cable television channels in the
United Kingdom,
Norway,
United States,
Canada,
Turkey and
Iran for the
Pakistani diaspora. == See also ==