An unexpected block for Salman Khan's Tiger Zinda Hai

The highly anticipated Salman Khan-starrer Tiger Zinda Hai has been refused the No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for import by Pakistan's Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage.

It must be noted that the film is the sequel of Ek Tha Tiger, which was also not released in the country back in 2012.

Pakistan's Central Board of Film Censor Chairman Mobasher Hasan has clarified on the development saying, "Tiger Zinda Hai has been refused the NOC, citing the same reason as the first instalment of the franchise. The image of Pakistan and its law enforcement agencies has been compromised."

Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar and produced by Yash Raj Films (YRF), the film, which also stars Katrina Kaif, is about two spies - one Indian and the other Pakistani and is slated for release in India on December 22.

A disheartened Sulaiman S Lalani, Executive Director, Geo TV Network, who was all set to distribute the film, says, "If there was any thing against the national interests of Pakistan in the film, we ourselves wouldn't have sought the exhibition, but this could have been done only after preview of the film."

He adds that they were verbally advised that the Ministry of Information has decided not to issue NOC for import of Tiger Zinda Hai with "no reasons assigned". He is now expecting a written response from both parties on Thursday.

Expectations for the film have been quite huge in Pakistan considering Salman Khan enjoys a massive fan following in the country. "Pakistan loves Salman Khan. Sultan was a mega blockbuster and minted approximately $3 million at the box office in Pakistan. His Bajrangi Bhaijaan was also loved by fans here," Lalani says.

Meanwhile, the film's director Ali Abbas Zafar, in an earlier interview, spoke about how the film was a largely a story about humanity. "The film is a very human story... it is not political at all. The idea is that when there is a fight between right and wrong, what is at stake is humanity. And there's nothing bigger than humanity," he said.