The Kabul Municipality started the demolition of a 70-year-old Park Cinema Hall in the downtown area of Kabul, Tolonews reported. The decision regarding the demolition was taken last week in a meeting of first Vice President Amrullah Saleh with security officials.

The demolition decision has not gone down well with people who called the action "against their culture." Sahraa Karimi, the chairperson of  Afghan Film Organization, called the action “improper” and “shameful act.”

The cinema hall, once a famous cultural and social destination in Kabul, was active until the last week. “We displayed three to four movies a week and we installed their posters outside the hall. People were visiting the hall but the number of visitors was less,” said Taimur Shah Bahawi, the acting head of the Park Cinema.

Barmak, a filmmaker by profession, said, “There isn’t any justifiable reason for the destruction of Park Cinema,” 

Other people took to Twitter to express their anger over the decision. The municipality has earlier vowed to build a replacement but currently, they have not finalized any plan regarding the same. 

Samira Rasa, the spokesperson of the Kabul Municipality, said idea was to convert the hall into the cultural center but added suggestions should come from people. She ruled out any possibility of reconstruction of the movie theatre.