2 min readJaipurOct 12, 2016 01:32 AM IST
First published on: Oct 12, 2016 at 01:32 AM IST
Days after India’s decision to skip the SAARC Summit in Islamabad, Pakistani artists and authors have backed out of the three-day SAARC Sufi Music Festival, to be held here over the weekend.
The Jaipur Sufi Festival is organised annually by the Foundation of SAARC Writers And Literature (FOSWAL), in association with the Rajasthan government. A 25-member Pakistani delegation comprising artists, poets, academics and authors was invited to participate in the festival earlier this year. However, none of them confirmed their participation in the event and the final list of participants does not feature any Pakistani member.
Barring the Pakistani delegation, nearly 400 participants from SAARC nations, including India, are expected to attend the event.
Punjabi author Ajeet Cour, who is the founder of FOSWAL and the SAARC Sufi Music Festival, expressed displeasure at the Pakistani delegation’s decision to give the festival a miss.
“Some said they can’t attend due to personal issues, while others have simply not responded,” Cour told The Indian Express.
“They must be scared too…under fear. They are also people like us and the present state of unpleasantness between the two countries may have discouraged them,” she added.
Asked if the festival organisers decided against having Pakistani artists fearing protests, she said: “Why would the organisers prevent them from coming. We fought for visas for Pakistani authors back in the ’80s when they would not be granted visas to visit India…Back then, visas to Pakistanis were a huge problem and we had to fight till the last minute to ensure the participation of the ten authors. It was a great moment,” said Cour.
The Jaipur Sufi festival begins Friday.
Share
