Hong Kong, Jan 14 (DPA) The Hong Kong pop star at the centre of a sex photos scandal is to testify in Canada against the man accused of downloading pictures from his computer, a news report said Wednesday.

Edison Chen, 28, has refused to return to Hong Kong for court proceedings surrounding the pictures showing him with a string of naked young starlets that circulated on the Internet early last year.

A deal has now been reached for Chen to give evidence instead at a five-day hearing in the Supreme Court of British Columbia Feb 23, the South China Morning Post reported.

The case caused an international sensation and the pictures, allegedly stolen from Chen’s laptop when he took it in for repairs, were viewed by millions of fans in Hong Kong, China and Taiwan.

Chen’s refusal to return to Hong Kong has stalled the trial of computer technician Sze Ho-chun, 23, accused of distributing the photos of Chen performing sex acts with well-known starlets.

Sze, who will not appear at the hearing in Canada, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of obtaining access to a computer with a view to making a dishonest gain.

He will go on trial in Hong Kong in April, the newspaper reported, and Chen’s testimony from the Canadian court hearing will be presented as part of the prosecution case.

Chen, who was forced to apologise to the starlets and announce his retirement from showbiz, was named one of Hong Kong’s People of 2008 in a radio poll last week.

Islamabad, Jan 15 (IANS) Pakistani artistes Thursday condemned the harassment of comedian Shakeel Siddiqi during the recording of a comedy show in Mumbai.

“Performing art people are very sensitive and such kind of treatment in India raises many questions and is very unfortunate,” Pakistan’s leading comedian Umer Sharif told IANS.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) activists Wednesday entered a studio where Siddiqi was shooting for the comedy show “Comedy Circus” and told him to leave for Pakistan. MNS, led by Raj Thackeray, became notorious last year for violence against people who had come from other parts of India to Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital.

“I believe he would have gone to India after government’s permission and making his trip public through media,” Sharif said. He said that this incident will certainly force several Pakistani artistes to stay away from the Indian showbiz industry.

Siddiqi went to Mumbai last week to perform in the show.

According to sources in the Pakistani film industry, at present there are at least six Pakistani artistes in India who are working on different projects.

“I know that at least six of the Pakistani people from our industry are in India but I don’t want to name them… none of them have gone there with proper documents like work permit etc and are on visit visas,” said a senior producer in the Pakistani film industry, requesting anonymity.

He said that it was responsibility of the host to provide security to the Pakistanis working there. He also criticised the role of Indian High Commission in Islamabad, which he said was “providing them visit visas instead of work visa”.

Human rights activist Sohaila Rashid said that the Indian government is responsible for the incident. “This is strange that a Pakistani artiste was beaten up in Mumbai. This shows how responsible is the Indian government,” said Rashid, adding it can add to the current tension between the two countries.

Sources in the Foreign Office said that they have asked the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi to immediately contact Siddiqi and repatriate him to Pakistan.

The sources said that the government plans to issue an advisory to Pakistanis who are present in India or planning to travel there on security issues.

“It seems a horrible news and affects the relationship between the film industries of both the countries,” said senior film producer Sangeeta. She said that Shakeel was well-known in India and was a source of bringing joy to millions of faces all across the sub-continent.

She said: “I am afraid that this can create further problems.”

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A Pakistani film about a boy who inadvertently strays into Indian territory will be the first ever to premiere simultaneously in both countries whose ties are often strained, the film’s Pakistani producer said.

Ramchand Pakistani, inspired by a real-life incident, examines the emotional turmoil of an eight-year-old boy and his father after they cross into India and are jailed, while the mother in Pakistan is left waiting to see their fate.

The film’s release in India and Pakistan on August 1 will be a rare event considering political rivalry has limited cultural interaction between the two nations.

“It is a very rare example of creative constructive collaboration between both countries,” producer Javed Jabbar said at a press conference on Sunday, a day after the film was screened at the Osian’s Cinefan film festival in New Delhi.

Jabbar, whose daughter Mehreen directed Ramchand Pakistani, said Pakistan allowed filming to take place close to sensitive border areas in southern Sindh province while India let the crew visit a jail in western Gujarat state to maintain “visual and narrative authenticity”.

Indian actress Nandita Das, known for her roles in bold, unconventional productions, plays the mother in the film whose main characters are from Pakistan’s minority Hindu community.

When Indian troops find the boy Ramchand and his father who comes looking for him, they suspect them of being spies.