10 days back, Manzoor Memon and Naeem Anwar, sought permission to go to Jaipur to attend a literature festival. PHOTO: PUBLICITY
Pakistani sportsmen and artists had earlier been sent back home by Indian authorities.
The diplomats, Manzoor Memon and Naeem Anwar, had sought permission to go to Jaipur to attend a literature festival 10 days back.
The diplomats had stated that they will stay in the Indian city from January 24 till January 28.
The Indian authorities did not mention any reasons for the refusal.
Pakistani author Mohammad Hanif was also absent from the festival, but the organisers did not give a reason as to why he was not there.
Managing director for the Oxford University Press Pakistan, Ameena Saiyid, writers Musharraf Ali Farooqi and Nadeem Aslam were present at the festival.
Earlier, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had warned that Pakistani writers should not visit Jaipur Literature Festival, where the works of seven Pakistani authors including Jamil Ahmad and Mohammed Hanif were shortlisted for the 2013 Prize for South Asian Literature.
COMMENTS (80)
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@observer: Yes, It applies to all. That's why I write all the time to protect the minorities__ Hindu, Sikhh, Esai, Ahmadi etc. I am all for peace & harmony and acceptance of all cultures, races, color, creed, origins and religions. It's a small world getting smaller fast. There is more enjoyment in a healthy multicultural environment. Long live peace & love!
@Say What?:
First you can’t choose your neighbors then real Hell is_ you still have to learn to live happily
Does this apply to Ahmadi and Shia neighbours too?
Just wondering.
I am Pakistani and i am not hurt with the decision of government of India. Its simple, the present government does want to take any risk (even smaller) regarding Pakistan because the opposition parties will try to do political point scoring.
So what if our diplomats are not going there?
Its quite clear that the emotions of two nations are running high, and it is perfectly fine avoiding any unnecessary public engagements of Pakistani diplomats with Indian media. Just chill guys!
How long and how many more times Pakistani leadership shall see the Indian leaders' inner,hidden and furtive harmful and hazardous intentions and prejudicial attitudes about/for Pakistan and Pakistani officials in India?????
This is stupid. On one hand our govt. gives visa to Javed Miandad, but has a problem in allowing Pak diplomats to take part in Lit fest. Treat the right person rightly. That's all I can say !!
@Riaz Khan: It is indeed the second best gesture from india,First was about sending pakistani hockey player out of india.Future gesture should be to show doors to pakistani artist
a pakistani lady writer named riaz had yesterday said at ndtv that she feels more safe and secure in Indian than in pakistan...
perhaps that is the reason so many pakistanis looking for Indian visas..
@Anonymous: "What’s the fuss, please organize a literary festival and don’t invite Indians….that’s it…."
Lol you are taking as if someone is ready to attend a festival which is hosted by Pak.. hehehe gud joke bro.. neither can pak host such a event nor will someone attend :)
@abhi: I agree, they probably cant read or write anyway.
@blaizebob: name one Indian who has even expressed the desire to come to Pak. The only Indians there are in your jails.
Why are we putting down ourself that much to India while they are rejecting every request of Pakistan?
@Shameema: why pakistani wants to join lit festival in india as far as i know pakistanis belong to martial race. book reading , book fair , literature is not something martial race should do. leave it to the non white south asians.
What will these semi literate Pakistani diplomats do at a literary fest any way. Photo shoot perhaps.......
@observer: Idea, I just think there maybe a planet out there with only Indians living on it & doing things their Way & nobody is bothering them, Ha ha! But here on earth_ First you can't choose your neighbors then real Hell is_ you still have to learn to live happily with your divorced wife with a distance of barely a line on the ground between you two, ha ha!
Small hearts and petty mindset of indian govt at work again.
@Queen:
Do you know what "secular" means ?
@Frantic:
why dont you take INDIA to another planet and dont border it with pakistan? your RISING & SHINING India man??
You know there is just ONE creator of the entire Universe. If He wanted India to be on a different planet He could have easily arranged it.
He did not. If You have any issues with that, you know whom to ask.
Once again, Happy Eid Miladun Nabi.
@stranger: "Why should we bother about aman between the two countries. lets not step on each other’s toes. thats enoguh. no need to go out of your way and try to be ‘friendly’ and ‘peaceful’."
You said it. Agree 100%
@blaizebob: "@rahul: The majority on both sides want to get closer to each other…. You are not the majority."
Only partially true. I agree that majority Indians feel war is undesirable and endorse our leadership stance to never start a war. A majority of Indians also however see that no matter how much we want peace, it will not become a reality based on commitments by Pakistani politicians since they neither control the military nor the non-state actors who are bent upon creating problems in India with the hope of snatching KAshmir through force. So then what we would really like is to disengage. We have no desire whatsover to hurt Pakistan but no expectation that any concessions by India will lead to peace within India, so why bother with these unilateral concessions?
Do all pakistanis think that he has the right to attened the literary or any other event in India, becaue he is a diplomat or a pakistani?. Grow up.
@Queen: "A very nice example of ‘secular’ India"
You clearly do not understand what secular means. Secular means that India will treat all its citizens the same irrespective of their faith. Pakistani diplomats are NOT Indian citizens and hence secularism has nothing to do with this. IT would be an evidence of being non-secular if an Indian Muslim was denied the chance to participate in this festival. I do not believe there is any such evidence. Plus even if India were not secular (which it is), how can Pakistan complain about it when its constitution openly discrimnates against non-Musims?
@Mohammad Ali Siddiqui: "Despite all this, Pakistan is determined to give India the status of most favorite nation ‘MFN’"
You and all others who think Pakistan is doing India a big favour by giving MFN status need to understand that India had given PAkistan this in 1996. IT is something that was obligatory for Pakistan to give India under WTO rules and it is India's magnanimity that it hasn't dragged Pakistan to the WTO for this. In fact in 2011, India had objected to favourable terms by EU to Pakistan which impacted its own exports and in order to get India to lift its waiver, Pakistan offered MFN as a quid-pro-quo. India graciously accepted it though this is something India was entitled to anyway. India honoured its word and lifted its objection in Oct 2011 itself. Pakistan has still not honoured its word and continues to talk about MFN.
In any event most goods from India land in Pakistan routed through Dubai - thus Indians are making the sale anyway. Denying MFN means that the Pakistanis pay a higher price for these goods than they would if they directly imported the goods from India.
So why was India suggesting we talk trade? In the hope that if Pakistan is economically more integrated with India, it is less likely to use its non-state actors to create terror in India. If however we see that no matter what happens on the Aman ki Asha front, Pakistan establishment will continue to support infiltration, thus denying the peace dividend to India, then naturally the peace constituency is weakened and people are more likely to favour disengagement. In India a lobby to start a war does not exist. Our army is there to DEFEND our borders and the lives of our people not attack others.
@Syed Nayyar Uddin Ahmad: "India deserves the treatment which recently it got from tiny islands country Mauritius, where its company building the airport misbehaved and was expelled by the Mauritius authorities within hours."
Country you quoted is not Mauritius but island nation of Maldives . Foreign minister of Maldives had to cool his heels in New Delhi and could not meet any Indian ministers recently in retaliation. "With ties reaching their lowest ebb, India has been making it difficult for Maldives. New Delhi has shown the rulebook to Malé on visas and imposed stay restrictions. Special favours to Maldivian vessels visiting Indian ports for picking up essentials have been withdrawn."http://www.indianexpress.com/news/upset-india-snubs-maldives-refuses-to-host-foreign-minister/1061992/
Mauritius economy is dependent on India because of India-Mauritius Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) 1983 which allows special tax exemption for investments through Mauritius. This has been used by corrupt Indian politicians to open shell companies in Mauritius and re channel ill gotten earnings back into India and avoid taxes in India / Mauritius wants to sell two of its its islands to India to preserve the treatyhttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Mauritius-offers-India-2-islands-in-effort-to-preserve-tax-treaty/articleshow/14697220.cms
For all of you who feel that "Indian = Hindu", let me tell you that ain't so. . India is more than the sum total of its parts. If you think Muslims feel affinity for Pakistan just due to their religion, that just isn't true. My Muslim neighbor is close to me just because I am open minded. My Muslim grocery shop owner is close to me because we speak the same language. I could go on and on. . Today was Milad-un-Nabi in India and I had gone to see Tipu Sulan's Summer Palace without even knowing about the significance of the day. I had lunch in a Muslim restaurant but I could see many who could not afford non-vegetarian food eat at Hindu restaurants with names such as "Ganesh Darbar". What you consider your Muslim brethren (ummah) are trying to do what they think is best to feed their wife and children. . What I am trying to say is that please do not look at everything through the lens of Hindu vs. Muslim. If push comes to shove, I and I am sure Muslims too will defend THEIR country. .
@observer: Hey.... WHY dont you make your own indian "tribune paper" and dont invite pakistanis to comment over that..., how does that sound?
@observer: Ohhh.... Mr. trying-to-be-smart.....in the light of your 3rd step
why dont you take INDIA to another planet and dont border it with pakistan? your RISING & SHINING India man??
To all those Pakistanis who are raising a hue and cry - good relations does not mean free for all. For instance, just because you have good relations with the US will you allow their diplomats un-restricted access to your entire country ? No, I think.
Dear Pakistanis
A. LitFest stands for Literary Festival.
B. Usually people having something to do with literature are invited.
C. The Diplomats may be 'literate' but may not be part of the 'literati'.
D. Incidentally Pakistanis, having something to do with literature are present at the LitFest
Managing director for the Oxford University Press Pakistan, Ameena Saiyid, writers Musharraf Ali Farooqi and Nadeem Aslam were present at the festival.
Relax. Wish you a Happy Eid Miladun Nabi.
@Syed Nayyar Uddin Ahmad:
Pakistan should also have forced the ICC to shift the Women Cricket World Cup out of India.
Better still host the Women's World Cup in Pakistan and don't allow Indian diplomats to visit the match venues. How does KPK sound as a venue?
@Syed Nayyar Uddin Ahmad
Then Tit for tat will be applied.
1>ban any Indian overflights from Pakistan --we will do the same also. 2>ban shows of Indian films in Pakistan, ban Indian TV, ban any repeat any to and fro Indian traffic to Afghanistan---We don't watch ur movies or TV shows and don't use ur land for moving to Afghanistan. 3>India deserves the treatment which recently it got from tiny islands country Mauritius, where its company building the airport misbehaved and was expelled by the Mauritius authorities within hours.--that's not mauritius , that's Maldives present in Indian ocean . mauritius has an Indian president . please check it out. Brush ur knowledge.
What others indian can do and pak can't
1>india will force MNCs to choose between India and Pak.
So think before writing.
There may be lot more than what we read. Recent Pakistan TV talk shows have taken the line that there are many interests pulling and pushing Pakistan from different sides. US & NATO wants one window clearance during their exit from Afghanistan and would prefer to be the army to be in control. Qadri drone is part of this plan. He has insisted that the elections should be under the control of the army. India prefers civilian government and is trying to keep the army engaged by drawing them to the border. This is the line some channels have taken when discussing the recent LOC incidences, Qadri, etc. Army may be working on plans to grab power by postponing elections and bringing in a caretaker government of their choice. They are unable to swallow that for the first time there could be civilian to civilian transfer of power.
The next 90 days are critical for Pakistan and anything can happen in 9 days also.
ET, please post my last comment. Thank you
Why are we so keen in India?
India has benifited most from Pakistan's bad law and order situation,
We are as competative as any nation in the world but our learder as POS and instead of focusing on clearing our own house and make it more inviteable, we are looking at someone who is kicking us pretty well when we are down.
BTW Well done, I don't know why pakistani diplomat anyway wanted to visit this festival!
why dont you leave us alone and go comment on your own country's newspapers?@Mohit Chinoy:
the worlds biggest immature and childish democracy. india has made itself a laughing stock in the international community through its consistent mixing of politics with sport and now literature and art.
@Modi: "Not surprised at all. As alwasys India moaning." No. India just refused. It's only Pakistan which is moaning because of the refusal.
@Rehman: " But I am sure any Indian diplomat will not be treated like that in Pakistan because Pakistanis know the word Hospitality."
Yup. Osama would agree.
After watching Ghazwa-E-Hind lectures no Indian will like to have anything to do with Pakistan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JC2dtolMjo
People may call Zaid Hamid a lunatic. However, I can reproduce videos of Tahir ul Qadri and many other Pakistani Maulvis n this subject. There is fairly large population in Pakistan who believes in Ghazwa-e-Hnd.
Who cares!!
India Refused Permission to Pak Diplomats Wanting to Visit JaiPur Literature Festival
Indian government and establishment's attitude towards Pakistan, is not only cynical but paranoid, as well. They want to treat Pakistan with disdain and contempt. Under the circumstances, Pakistan will have to put its act together; and ban any Indian overflights from Pakistan, ban shows of Indian films in Pakistan, ban Indian TV, ban any repeat any to and fro Indian traffic to Afghanistan. India deserves the treatment which recently it got from tiny islands country Mauritius, where its company building the airport misbehaved and was expelled by the Mauritius authorities within hours. In fact, India behaves with bigger countries like China etc. and with rest of its neighbours its attitude is always bullish. The only country suits to Indian mindset is Bhutan. Pakistan must give India taste of its own medicine, till such time it is ready to act and behave like a responsible nation, without any hegemonic designs. When our diplomats cant even visit the literature Festival in Jaipur, Pakistan should also have forced the ICC to shift the Women Cricket World Cup out of India. Its high time, Pakistan must teach India lessons in each and every field.
India = Drama Queen
Why should we bother about aman between the two countries. lets not step on each other's toes. thats enoguh. no need to go out of your way and try to be 'friendly' and 'peaceful'.
Pakistanis not need to feel hurt. A lot of hindu families are coming to India per week and are seeking for asylum ..
Indian government and establishment's attitude towards Pakistan, is not only cynical but paranoid, as well. They want to treat Pakistan with disdain and contempt. Under the circumstances, Pakistan will have to put its act together; and ban any Indian overflights from Pakistan, ban shows of Indian films in Pakistan, ban Indian TV, ban any repeat any to and fro Indian traffic to Afghanistan. India deserves the treatment which recently it got from tiny islands country Mauritius, where its company building the airport misbehaved and was expelled by the Mauritius authorities within hours. In fact, India behaves with bigger countries like China etc. and with rest of its neighbours its attitude is always bullish. The only country suits to Indian mindset is Bhutan. Pakistan must give India taste of its own medicine, till such time it is ready to act and behave like a responsible nation, without any hegemonic designs. When our diplomats cant even visit the literature Festival in Jaipur, Pakistan should also have forced the ICC to shift the Women Cricket World Cup out of India. Its high time, Pakistan must teach India lessons in each and every field.
@Mohammad Ali Siddiqui: slap on faces of so called liberals and secular fanatics
@rahul: Raam Raam rahul miyyan.... raam raam....How's the elephant and the cows??
To All Pakistanis Getting Hot Under the Collar
Step 1- Refer to your Geography books and LEARN that Jaipur is in India.
Step 2- Refer to your Civics books and LEARN that that all sovereign nations have a right to decide where an alien may and may not go.
Step 3- Understand that India is under no obligation to provide employment to Pakistanis.
Now go and organise a LitFest in NWA and don't invite Indians.
Good Luck.
@rahul: The majority on both sides want to get closer to each other.... You are not the majority.
india, please stop acting like a petulant child!
I thought you were above this....
@Vampire:
Please go back to your coffin. Though Pakistan is bound to give MFN status to Indian as per WTO as India has already given Pakistan the same status in 1996, we don't really want it from you.
@Shameela: That proverb actually applies to Pakistan. Do you remember Kargil? Our dear Prime Minister was in Pakistan, and at the same time your Army was infiltrating in Kargil.
@Shahzad: It is impossible NOT to have "any relations" as you desire, because relations are either good or bad between neighbouring countries. Pakistani leaders have been trying their best since 1947 to dictate (dominate) the relations with India. The only problem is that the strategy hasn't worked.
Why are pakistani ppl so despirate to come to india??. Be it the politicains or cricketers or artists ?? . They can go to friendly nation and their closet friend CHINA
@Mohammad Ali Siddiqui: India granted Pakistan MFN status in 1995-1996. This is why Pakistan is bound by WTO rules to give equal status to India, but has still not done so. Get your facts right before being self-righteous.
A very nice example of 'secular' India
@Mohammad Ali Siddiqui:
Despite all this, Pakistan is determined to give India the status of most favorite nation ‘MFN’
Despite all this and Mumbai too, India gave MFN status to Pakistan way back in 1996.
@Mohammad Ali Siddiqui: India doesn't wants MNF from Pakistan.I am against any type of relationship with pakistan like most Indians.So leave us alone and be happy in your country thanks,
Not surprised at all. As alwasys India moaning.
No MFN status for India... Test them for a few years first.
This is India- are you seeing this "liberals"? even Hafiz Saeed is not this extreme! he has never asked Govt to ban Indians to come in Pakistan!
By looking at the barbaric act of pakistani army... this is justified..
India should take more punitive actions.
Typical Indians!
What an amazing country is Hindustan,where only saints live,and all evil and Satan elsewhere.What was expected from them,now you will see hoards of comments from Indian pretending not be be an hindustani and trying to humiliate,degrade us.Just wait and see and learn their mind set,up binging,perception.
Not very nice, India. As my grandmother used to say ' Bhaghal mey Chura, munH pey Ram, Ram!' Now I know what that expression means. From Aman ki Asha to Aman ki Ashes!
@Riaz Khan:
beheading our soldiers on loc wasn't nice either.
It is indeed the second best gesture from india,First was about sending pakistani hockey player out of india.Future gesture should be to show doors to pakistani artist.
last time rehman malik came and made a stupid statement of equating babri demolition with 26/11 mumbai attacks.
do you expect indians would make the same mistake by inviting them to a cultural program?
india did good.
@Riaz Khan: By the way ,it seems that these two guys r not intrested in literature festival.They sought visa to visit taj mahal and khwaja moidin chisti Dargah....
The present government has made a mockery of its foreign policy
Well - as a Pakistani, I can't really blame India - even though I believe decisions to stop people-to-people exchange, especially in the cultural and arts arena, are counter productive and small minded. We can not reasonably expect India to demonstrate positive feelings for Pakistan till the Pakistani State stops aiding and abetting its citizens who plan/carry out terrorist acts in that country.
Not a nice gesture from India!
'AMAN KEE ASHA" is actually " AMAN KA TAMASHA"
Despite that we will continue to sing 'Aman Ki Asha'... what a joke!!!
What's the fuss, please organize a literary festival and don't invite Indians....that's it....
We don't need any relations with this country, when will our incompetent and corrupt rulers learn this?
Despite all this, Pakistan is determined to give India the status of most favorite nation 'MFN'