The sixth edition of the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival will begin at the Diggi Palace in Jaipur amid a host of threats from various sides.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh have joined the party in wanting seven Pakistani authors banned from attending the Jaipur Literature Fest after the recent hostilities on the Line of Control (LOC), where reportedly two Indian soldiers died.u00a0

On the eve of the festival, Random House publishers of Pakistani author, Mohammed Hanif have announced that he will not be able to attend the festival.u00a0

Hanif, who was an important panelist and participating author at this year’s festival, is the author of A Case of Exploding Mangoes, which was longlisted for the 2008 Man Booker Prize. His second novel, Our Lady of Alice Bhatti, is one of the nominees for the 2013 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature, to be announced on January 25.