To Support the Film Industry, the Government Has Made Film Production and Cinema Income Tax-Free: Maryam Aurangzeb

She stated at the Icon Awards 2023 ceremony held at a local hotel that the creation of the country's first Film Policy began in 2016 and was adopted in 2018. Consultations with artists, producers, and others involved in the film business were used to design this strategy.

According to Aurangzeb, the Film Policy received great feedback from the country's recognised senior artists. She also complimented previous Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif with providing films industrial status. She went on to say that under the first Film Policy, cinemas were allowed a five-year tax exemption. Furthermore, there are no import duties on cinema equipment, and sales tax has been abolished.

The Minister said that no financing had previously been granted for film production, however the current government has established a Film Finance Fund of Rs2 billion for a year to assist filmmakers. In addition, a Film Finance Committee has been formed. Aurangzeb also stressed the importance of artists to Pakistan Television (PTV), citing the renovation of the PTV Academy after 29 years and the digitalization of PTV archives for internet access via a one-window facility.

Radio Pakistan has created twelve studios and launched the Voice Hunt programme. Radio Pakistan's archives, which cover 75 years, have also been digitised. Aurangzeb also addressed the upcoming adoption of Pakistan's first Music Policy, which aims to preserve, enhance, and defend the country's musical history. She emphasised the significance of presenting the world with the actual character of the country.

The Minister announced a Rs1 billion budget for journalists and artists, respectively. Sindh Governor Muhammad Kamran Khan Tessori and Sohail Ali Khan, Secretary of Information and Managing Director of PTV, also spoke during the occasion.

The artists were then given Health Cards by the Minister of Information and Broadcasting and the Secretary of Information and Broadcasting. The event honoured personalities such as Javed Sheikh, Asif Raza Mir, Syed Noor, Sultana Siddiqui, Sheema Kermani, Sajid Hasan, Nadeem Mandviwala, Usman Pirzada, and others for their contributions to the cinema and music industries.