Raza Rabbani deplores returning of national awards by intellectuals

ISLAMABAD: Former chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani Friday expressed his deep concern and shame that the Pakistani intellectuals are refusing to accept civil awards that the state is conferring on them in recognition of their services.

“First it was Sindhi writer Taj Joyo who refused the accept the Pride of Performance, 2020, because his son like so many others was missing and now it is the daughter of renowned poetess Fehmida Riaz who has announced that as protest against the kidnappings and torture of journalists and writers she will not accept the award on behalf of late mother as it will be a negation of her life’s struggle,” he said in a statement on Friday.

Senator Raza Rabbani said these two cases are the tip of the ice berg of frustration and despair which is born from fascist policies that are being followed and implemented. He said in a society, where intellectual growth is stifled through state policy and the power to question by a citizen is crushed, such societies die.

Rabbani said that the state must be warned that by not allowing intellectualism to grow, denying federalism, tinkering with the parliamentary form of government and promoting centralisation they are pushing the Federation to the edge of the precipice.