Just Earth News | @justearthnews | 03 Jul 2020, 09:34 pm Print
Islamabad/IBNS: A Baloch poet has rejected an academic award from Pakistan citing the Imran Khan government’s policies ‘inflicted’ on Balochistan that have ‘subjugated’ the populace.
Poet Akbar Barakzai has rejected the award given to him for the best work in Baloch literature.
Barakzai’s book ‘Zaban Zanti-u-Balochi Zaban Zanti’ had been nominated for the Syed Zahoor Shah Hashmi Award by the Pakistani Academy of Letters (PAL), reports The Singapore Post.
Upon hearing about the nominations, he rebuffed the academic award and the accompanying 200,000 rupees cash prize through an email sent to the Chairman of the PAL, Dr Yousuf Khushk, reports the newspaper.
In his email, Barakzai thanked the PAL for the nomination but said that he cannot accept this award.
When asked about his decision, he cited the policies ‘inflicted’ on Balochistan to ‘subjugate’ its populace, the newspaper reported.
- UN experts urge Thailand to halt deportation of 48 Uyghurs to China citing serious concerns over potential torture
- Bangladesh: Court may hear arrested Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das' bail petition today
- US Senator Marco Rubio vows to oppose deportation of 48 Uyghurs from Thailand to China
- Pakistan: Ahmadi worship place, which was built by country's first Foreign Minister Zafarullah Khan, demolished
- Uyghur woman sentenced to 17 years in prison in China for giving Islamic religious lessons to her two sons, neighbour
