KARACHI, Sept 3: In a much-awaited move, the city government has decided to hold a book bazaar on Sunday at Frere Hall after a gap of over three months.

Hundreds of book-lovers were turned away from the Sunday book bazaar on May 29 as the law-enforcement agencies tightened security on the roads leading to the Frere Hall.

The Sunday book bazaar was closed following two blasts in front of the PACC which occurred in quick succession on May 26, killing one policeman. City Nazim Niamatullah Khan told Dawn on Friday that the city government would continue to hold the book bazaar as long as law and order remained under control.

"Nobody can say exactly when Karachi's law and order will break down. But let me tell you that every time the city government is forced to close the book bazaar, I feel hurt," he said.

Mr Khan observed that he personally felt that the book bazaar played a very important role. "It enables bibliophiles to purchase inexpensive books. It also helps second-hand book dealers to generate some income. If I had my way, the city government would never close the book bazaar," he said.

He told Dawn that he had directed the police department to make arrangements for the book bazaar on Sunday. Capital City Police Office Tariq Jamil was not available for comments.

Booksellers told Dawn that they were particularly heartened by the city government decision to restart the book bazaar at Frere Hall on Sundays. "We are glad that the city government has finally decided to hold the bazaar.

While we hold a book bazaar at the Regal Chowk when we are not allowed to go to The Frere Hall, a large number of regular customers fail to turn up. Besides, the Sunday book bazaar has a literary atmosphere which one does not find at the Regal Chowk book bazaar," they said.

They urged the government to financially help them initially because few people would come to the book bazaar in the beginning. If the city government could bear the expenses of lights and furniture for the first three weeks, we would be able to hold the bazaar on a sustained basis with the rise in number of customers, they said.

The district officer of the city government's community development department, Saifur Rahman Grami, said his department was prepared to hold the book bazaar on Sunday. He added that he had already met a delegation of booksellers on Friday.