What happened: Dr Ashu Lal, a well-known Seraiki poet and writer, declined to accept the Rs1 million Kamal-i-Fun Award given by the Pakistan Academy of Letters. In a Seraiki post, Dr. Ashu Lal announced his refusal to receive the honour on social media, “I express my gratitude to friends. I refuse to accept the award. I have not sent any of my books to the Academy of Letters. In my opinion, my refusal (to accept the award) is more precious. My literary activism for the last 40 years is my reward (as a writer). Don’t want to live in brackets. Thank you.” Details: The poet told Dawn Images that the state is suppressing the locals and our culture, “Under the fascist regime, our children go missing. The indigenous people are largely overlooked. How can we accept an award from a state that is anti-people and anti-art?” he added. He claims that the awards are mostly political in nature and have grown contentious because they are only given out for picture shoots. Dr.Lal claims that the deep state in governance, literature, and culture has nothing to do with him. “Accepting an award from a president under the current administration who does not even know him is insulting to him,” says the renowned poet. Who is Ashu Lal: Born in April 13, 1959, Muhammad Ashraf was given the nickname ‘Ashu Lal’ by his mother when he began writing. His profession is that of a medical doctor. He worked as a doctor around the region after completing his MBBS at the Quaid-i-Azam Medical College in Bahawalpur, at times in places where no doctor would want to go. He was laid off from his work two years ago.