Nadeem Mandliwala, a board member of the Pakistan Film Exhibitors Association, said Sunday that the group wanted to “lodge a protest” and felt that the message had been sent. He said the decision to boycott the films came in response to a similar move by the Indian film industry.

Tensions have soared in recent months over Kashmir, a divided Himalayan territory claimed by both nuclear-armed rivals. But despite the decades-old rivalry, Pakistanis flock to Bollywood films, and several Pakistani musicians and artists help make them.