Seraiki poet turns down Punjab award

[xairhossi]

MULTAN: Famous Seraiki poet Rifat Abbas has turned down the Pride of Punjab Award carrying a Rs300,000 prize, conferred on him by the Punjab government, citing moral and ideological reasons.

The Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture, working under the patronage of the Punjab Information and Culture Department for the promotion of Punjabi language, art and culture, had announced the award for the Multan-based Seraiki poet Rifat Abbas in poetry category in connection with International Mother Language Day of 2017.

“I’ve no moral ground to accept the award; I refuse it due to three main reasons: being a poet, being a Seraiki nationalist and being a neighbor of small nations struggling against the suppression of Punjab,” said Mr Abbas.

Explaining the reasons, he said that being a poet he had not rendered any service for the promotion of Punjabi language but his all services were for the promotion of Seraiki language.

“Similarly, being a Seraiki nationalist I’m part of the struggle for a separate federating unit as we (Seraikis) are a separate nation and have separate language and culture. Being a neighbour to other oppressed nations like Sindhi, Baloch and Pashtoon, that are under the suppression of Punjab, and by accepting this award I will lose grounds to support these nations,” he said.

In the past, Seraiki intellectual Mehboob Tabish has also refused to accept an award by the World Punjabi Congress on his book on the life of Holy Prophet ‘Aiboon Khali’.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2017

 

[Kabira]

“Similarly, being a Seraiki nationalist I’m part of the struggle for a separate federating unit as we (Seraikis) are a separate nation and have separate language and culture. Being a neighbour to other oppressed nations like Sindhi, Baloch and Pashtoon, that are under the suppression of Punjab, and by accepting this award I will lose grounds to support these nations,” he said.

wut

 

[xairhossi]

wut

lol, next up Faisalabadies will claim to be an oppressed nation and start Azad Chenab Bar tehreek.

 

[Talwar e Pakistan]

Never heard of him till now, never heard of Seraiki nationalism either. These people are a rare breed and shunned by their own families - it's best we ignore them and give them no publicity.

 

[ABCharlie]

So he wants a province for seraikis?

 

[Sheikh Rauf]

Is he askin seprate province or country? He sud ask Yousuf Raza gilani to support him. Refusing this award was the good opportunity for him to come in media. I wonder he would refuse to accept prize money if it was over million.

 

[Musafir117]

Let's see how long Takht e Lahore could maintain its crown all over Punjab

 

[M. Sarmad]

So he wants a province for seraikis?

We should have no objection to the creation of a Seraiki province If that is done through a democratic process.

 

[xairhossi]

There is even a 'Seraiki Ajrak Day' based on a blue Seraiki ajrak (called sajrak) developed by Seraiki nationalists for their new province. Kind of like how Sindhi topi and ajrak were all hyped up by Sindhi nationalists as symbols of Sindh which was itself reactionary due to the threat of Urdu speaking Mohajir domination.

 

[ABCharlie]

We should have no objection to the creation of a Seraiki province If that is done through a democratic process.

Agreed. Though i am in principle against provinces based on language. It will never end. In the end all dialects within a language would want a separate province. I'd rather we just had a large number of administrative units based on geography rather than language.

But until that happens, we have to live with the current set up and if some linguistic groups gets a province, others should too, in a democratic manner.

There is even a 'Seraiki Ajrak Day' based on a blue Seraiki ajrak (called sajrak) developed by Seraiki nationalists for their new province. Kind of like how Sindhi topi and ajrak were all hyped up by Sindhi nationalists as symbols of Sindh which was itself reactionary due to the threat of Urdu speaking Mohajir domination.

It actually looks pretty nice.

 

[lastofthepatriots]

What a retard. Saraiki is basically Punjabi.

 

[xairhossi]

Agreed. Though i am in principle against provinces based on language. It will never end. In the end all dialects within a language would want a separate province. I'd rather we just had a large number of administrative units based on geography rather than language.

The thing is, Seraiki itself is hardly a homogenous language and has a lot of variation/dialects in itself. Derawali spoken in DG Khan/Rajanpur differs from 'Riasti' of Bahwalpur and Rahim Yar Khan. Not to mention the nomadic tribes of Cholistan that speak some Marwari dialects. Moreover, these Seraiki nationalists tend to claim way too much of Punjab with maps like these

All non-Majhi dialects like Jhangochi, Thalochi, Chenaweri etc. get claimed as part of Seraikistan. It also has no geographic coherence, stretching from Mianwali to RY Khan, wtf.
Parts of Northern Sindh and Eastern Baluchistan speak Seraiki or dialects similar to it as well, 'Siro' is what South Punjab is called in Sindhi (it means North), and the people inhabiting the region 'Sirai', hence the language, 'Seraiki'.

What a retard. Saraiki is basically Punjabi.

Yeah, the way in which he did that was rather pathetic. That Punjab institute was going to award him for promotion of Punjabi language (itself somewhat suppressed) and he snubs them and goes on about being oppressed himself. Imagine a person from Sargodha rejecting one from Gujranwala since he spoke Shahpuri dialect and not Majhi, hence was 'oppressed'.

 

[lastofthepatriots]

I am from Bahawalpur myself. I am Punjabi but can speak both Punjabi and Saraiki. Honestly there is not much of a difference. It's literally a dialect of Punjabi If anything.

 

[Kabira]

lol, next up Faisalabadies will claim to be an oppressed nation and start Azad Chenab Bar tehreek.

I'm all for more provinces but not in just punjab and obviously not based on lies. Also they claim more then half of punjab, in reality seraikistan are couple of districts around Multan. Obviously in huge province like punjab people and culture will not be same from one corner to another. Said that seraiki is still lot closer to punjabi then sindhi. It only sound like sindhi to ignorant ears, in reality seraiki is western/lahnda punjabi which sound like sindhi.

 

[Safriz]

These clowns are paid to do such dramas by foreign powers.
Should be arrested and throw in jail