Pakistani writers should not attend Jaipur Lit Festival, BJP warns

Jamil Ahmad and Mohammed Hanif are expected to attend the festival.

JAIPUR: As India returned Pakistani artists and athletes back home following the Line of Control tension between the two countries, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has warned that Pakistani writers should not Jaipur Literature Festival, Times of India (TOI) reported on Tuesday.

According to the report, the work of seven Pakistani authors including Jamil Ahmad and Mohammed Hanif are shortlisted for the 2013 Prize for South Asian Literature.

Ahmad and Hanif had attended the JLF last year but because of the recent cross-border conflict, the BJP has decided to oppose the presence of these writers.

"We will not allow them to enter the festival venue. There is no question of welcoming the Pakistani authors here at a time when their country has disrupted peace at the border,'' said BJP Yuva Morcha state president Rishi Bansal.

Party leaders also added that they were considering to hold a protest march in this regard.

However, the TOI report quoted a JLF organiser as saying: "All sessions would be held as per schedule in the presence of all guest authors.''