Veteran writer and one of the giants of Urdu novel in the country, Mustansar Hussain Tarar, has refused to accept the Kamal-i-Fun award announced by the Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) in Islamabad. The writer claimed it was “controversial and tainted.” The award was jointly announced for Tarar and Seraiki poet Dr Ashu Lal, who has already refused to accept the award immediately after its announcement, saying that he could not accept an award from ‘a fascist state that’s anti-people and anti-art’. The Kamal-i-Fun award carries prize money of Rs1m too. Tarar, famous for his novels and travelogues, raised the question as to why the tradition of the award was violated and the rules of the award ignored. He said the move was similar to dividing Sitara-i-Imtiaz, the highest civilian award of Pakistan, between two persons. “It’s just ridiculous. Sometime back, I came to know the ‘half of the award’ has been awarded to Dr Ashu Lal. He, according to his ideology, refused to accept t...