Kamila, Kashmir and literary giants.

Byline: Jamshaid Ahmad - Karachi

THIS is apropos the letter 'Kamila Shamsie' (Oct 2). The writer has lamented that a German literary award to a Pakistani writer Kamila Shamsie was revoked because of her support for Boycott, Diversity, Sanctions movement against Israel for its illegal occupation of Palestine.

Not only the letter writer, but many luminaries of the literary world like Noam Chomsky and William Dalrymple too have protested over the revocation of the Nelly Sachs book prize. They all have done what was expected of them. The denial of the book award to Kamila was indeed a condemnable act.

However, Kashmiris in India-occupied valley have been suffering the atrocities for the last 70 years and today they face such misery which would have put even Nazis to shame.

There has been a curfew in the valley for over two months. Young Kashmiri men suffer torture by Indian security forces, men and small children suffer pellet wounds in their eyes, while women are raped and killed by occupation forces. Now there are reports that RSS goons are raping Kashmiri women after some Hindutva leaders urged them to do so.

Would it not have been an...