Pakistan Academy of Literature has chosen two eminent personalities for the 2020 Kamal Fan Award this time. These personalities include the famous Siraiki poet and writer Dr. Asholal Faqir and the famous Urdu writer and travel writer Mustansar Hussain Tarar.
Both celebrities refused to accept the award.
Mustanasir Hussain Tarar denied accepting the award in a video statement on Sunday through a Facebook group.
Mustansar Hussain Tarar said in the video that this award was distributed for the first time in its 20-21-year history. Otherwise, this award was always given to a writer, regardless of language, under the law and rule. Why was the tradition that has been going on violated?’
At the end of the video, he says that he is most grateful to his readers because they “don’t consider them half writers, but full writers.”
The second nominee of the Kamal Art Award, writer and poet Dr. Asholal Faqir, refused to accept the award a few days ago.
Speaking to Independent Urdu, Dr. Asho Lal said, ‘I have a narrative that the state itself is under threat and something should be done practically to save it. The award is a small thing. I have been doing literary activism for forty years and that is my reward.’
‘I am a fascist state, which is an enemy of art, an enemy of culture, which does not allow people to dance, which does not allow people to sing, which does not allow people to read good poetry. Can I take the award?’
He said, ‘How is it possible for me to compromise my position or my narrative for a few bucks? Unfortunately, our state is following a false narrative. From Maulawi Abdul Haq to Naseem Hijazi’s story from Mujahid to Ertugrul.
‘Can this narrative work? It is a stupid thing that you want to run the state in thoughts rather than in the air, it is not like that. Pakistan has diversity, it has many languages, different cultures, art and all these elements, the state will not give importance, so how will the state survive unless the culture, language, diversity of the local people is not given importance to the state. Gives.’
He said that I have not sent any book to Pakistan Academy of Literature for the last 20, 25 years. Because I know that academic literature is a politically motivated institution.
‘It is not a real or neutral body that actually awards you for services to art or literature. There are lobbying and other avenues that lead to this award. I don’t want to follow this path. This is incorrect. I am with my Nativity. My river is endangered, my desert is endangered, our woman is endangered, our culture is endangered. This is the problem and there are many other problems that are part of my creative literature. The poetry I wrote to save my Nativity, the books I wrote, my work is my reward. These awards are seductive things.’
Dr Asholal said that he had no news before receiving the award, but his son told him that he had been given an award.
What does the academy say?
When Independent Urdu contacted Pakistan Academy of Literature Chairman Dr. Yusuf Khokh on the rejection of the award by the two writers, he said that the Academy announces the Kamal Art Award every year. It has the legal procedure that a jury representing all provinces and languages sits. The role of the Academy in this is only to appoint a jury.’
“Once the jury is appointed, the chairman of the academy or any of his staff shall not interfere with the jury or its committee and with their decision.”
This award is given to a writer every year. This year, the jury decided that the 2020 award should be given to two personalities, including Mustansar Hussain Tarar and Ashul Lal. It was the decision of the jury, which was a 20-member committee.
Kishor Naheed was presiding over the jury. Apart from this, Asghar Nadeem Syed, Mehmood Sham, Izharul Haq, Dr. Anwar Ahmed, Dr. Rauf Parekh, Parveen Malik, Dr. Riaz Majeed, Hafeez Khan, Muhammad Hameed Sheikh, Dr. Abbasin Yousafzai, Nasir Ali Syed, Dr. Abdul Razzaq Sabir, Dr. Zulfikar Syal, Taj Joyo, Dr. Ziaul Hasan, Dr. Rubina Shaheen, Dr. Qasim Naseem, Haris Khaliq and Dr. Waheed Bakhsh Buzdar were included. Their meeting lasted three and a half hours and their decision was sealed in an envelope.
This section contains related reference points (Related Nodes field).
When the envelope was opened, it contained the names of two people, which was justified by the jury that two people are awarded the Nobel Prize, so this time the Kamal Art Award should also be given to two people. We announced this decision in front of the media. After pronouncing the decision, we informed both the eminent personalities in writing.’
Dr. Yusuf Shukh said that so far the two famous personalities have not sent a written denial of the award to the Academy, but through the media, Asholal and Mustansar Hussain Tarar also objected to the award through social media that it is not half. Should have been and there he refused to accept the award.
He said that ‘now when the two personalities will write to us that they do not want this award, then it will be seen what to do.’
Dr. Yusuf Shokh said that no one has ever refused to accept an award from the Academy, but there are examples of refusal to accept a presidential award.
In case of refusal, will the award be given to someone else?
In response to this question, Dr. Yusuf Shukh said that once the award is announced, the award has become the person whose name is announced.
If someone refuses and their refusal is recorded in writing, the tradition is that the award remains in their name and the money goes back to the government.
Alternatively, if both receive a written response, we will remand to the jury for consideration.
On the reservations regarding Asholal’s academy, Chairman Pakistan Academy of Literature Dr. Yusuf Khokh said that Asholal’s one objection was that he had not sent any book for many years, so this award is not for a book but a lifetime achievement award. is given as
The rest of them said that it is their right to say whatever they want. If the academy was working on some political priorities, they would have come forward, but if they are saying it, we can bow down to them because they are our elders and that is how we have been trained.’
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)
{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};
if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;
n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];
s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,document,’script’,
‘https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’);
fbq(‘init’, ‘2494823637234887’);
fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);
#Decision #written #refusal #Mustansar #Hussain #Tarar #Asho #Lal
**Interview with Dr. Yusuf Khokh, Chairman of the Pakistan Academy of Literature**
**Editor:** Thank you for joining us, Dr. Khokh. The Pakistan Academy of Literature recently honored Dr. Asholal Faqir and Mustansar Hussain Tarar with the 2020 Kamal Fan Award, but both have decided to reject it. What are your thoughts on their decisions?
**Dr. Khokh:** Thank you for having me. It is indeed unfortunate when distinguished writers choose to decline recognition. The Kamal Fan Award has a long-standing tradition, and this year we honored both Dr. Faqir and Mr. Tarar based on a unanimous decision made by our jury, which represents a diverse range of voices and backgrounds.
**Editor:** In his video statement, Mustansar Hussain Tarar expressed concerns about the deviation from the award’s tradition, emphasizing that it has always been given to singular writers. What do you make of his argument?
**Dr. Khokh:** Mr. Tarar raises a legitimate point regarding tradition. However, our jury felt that in this exceptional case, both individuals warranted recognition for their significant contributions to literature. Much like the Nobel Prize, we believe there is room for celebrating multiple figures in a given year.
**Editor:** Dr. Asholal Faqir has voiced serious concerns about the political environment and its impact on literature in Pakistan. How does the Academy view these sentiments, especially in light of the award?
**Dr. Khokh:** The concerns voiced by Dr. Faqir are reflective of broader socio-political tensions that many artists face. While the Academy does not engage in politics, we recognize that art and literature often intersect with societal issues. His dedication to literary activism is admirable, but we believe the Kamal Fan Award is a means to honor and draw attention to such contributions.
**Editor:** Both writers have pointed out that they feel the Academy may not be a neutral body for awarding literary achievements. What is your response to such criticisms?
**Dr. Khokh:** It is essential to acknowledge differing perspectives. However, our jury is composed of respected members from various fields and regions. They conduct their deliberations independently, with no interference from the Academy once appointed. Their decision stands based on merit, and we respect the autonomy of independent literary recognition.
**Editor:** Moving forward, how does the Academy plan to address these kinds of rejections? Will there be any changes to the process or criteria for future awards?
**Dr. Khokh:** We will reflect on the feedback from both Dr. Faqir and Mr. Tarar. It’s crucial for us to maintain open lines of communication with the literary community. If they formally decline the award, we will have to assess our approach to future nominations and recognize the complexities of honoring writers in today’s environment.
**Editor:** Thank you, Dr. Khokh, for sharing your insights with us. It’s essential to foster dialogue on these matters within the literary community.
**Dr. Khokh:** Thank you for having me. It’s through discussions like these that we can strive towards a richer literary culture in Pakistan.
