THIS is apropos ‘Avid reader’s lament’ (Feb 5). I would like to lend my voice to the grave issue of affordability of books.

I visited International Book Fair held at Expo Center in Lahore from Feb 1 to 5. On the one hand, it was so heartening to see a collection of books covering diverse topics — religion, literature, basic sciences, application sciences, current affairs, etc.

On the other hand, I found it quite lamentable to see their skyrocketing prices. Being an energy and power sector professional, my natural interest lies in engineering books, besides current affairs and history.

The imported books carry a heavy import tax/duty, which is incorporated in the exchange rate. So, a book costing a dollar would be charged at Rs163 approximately in lieu of Rs139 as exchange rate.

Similarly, a book valued in pound sterling was charged at Rs208 in lieu of the current open market exchange rate of Rs179 approximately). This is a dreadful situation.

My heart bleeds when I see the dearth of bookshops besides their exorbitant prices. As a nation, we must encourage book reading among people of all ages.

The adviser to the prime minister on commerce, Razzak Dawood, should look for ways to slash the duty/tax on the import of books. Reducing the prices of books will create a win-win situation for all stakeholders, whether booksellers or readers.

Pakistanis are already spendthrift on food and entertainment. Let us play our role in encouraging people to develop reading habits.

Kashif Ali

Lahore

Published in Dawn, February 18th, 2019