ISLAMABAD: The second day of the 8th Islamabad Literature Festival (ILF) was full of stimulating discourses and debates.

However, due to Covid-19 pandemic, the ILF, which is being organised by the Oxford University Press Pakistan, continued as a virtual event with some face-to-face sessions attended by a select audience observing standard operating procedures (SOPs).

The day started off with the session titled ‘Reimagining Pakistan with Education Reforms’ by Amjad Noorani and Tooba Akhtar who discussed good schooling and how it could alleviate poverty and advance societal development through equitable opportunity for quality education.

A session on ‘Potohar Mein Adab ki Soorat-i-Haal’ had Ravish Nadim as moderator while panelists Akhtar Usman, Shoaib Khaliq and Akhtar Raza Saleemi gave interesting insights on the state of regional literature.

There were five parallel book launches with sessions on ‘Journeys without a Map: A Writers Life’ by Marion Molteno moderated by Saif Mehmood, ‘Surkh Salam’ by Kamran Asdar Ali, ‘Countering Violent Extremism in Pakistan: Local Actions, Local Voices’ by Anita M Weiss, ‘Dasht-i- Imkaan’ by Asghar Nadeem Syed, ‘Restless: Instead of an Autobiography’ by Aamer Hussein and ‘Pakistan Here and Now: Insights into Society, Culture, Identity and Diaspora’ edited by Harris Khalique and Irfan Ahmed Khan.

The late afternoon session, ‘Kashmir: Politics and Power’, was moderated by Mujahid Barelvi, with Nasim Zehra, Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan and Mushaal Hussein Malick taking part in the discussion.

The session named ‘Hamnay Urdu kay Bahaana say Saleeqa Seekha’ had Arfa Sayeda Zehra in conversation with Saif Mehmood. ‘Crises have No Borders’ discussed the current political situation that confronts Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries.

A key panel with Arshad Saeed Husain, A.H. Nayyar, Suhail bin Aziz, Chaudhary Faisal Mushtaq and Ayesha Razzaque, moderated by Faisal Bari, discussed the single national curriculum as well as the challenges of implementation, controversies and the rigid and narrow interpretation of the curriculum by provincial textbook authorities.

The late afternoon sessions were rounded with an intriguing session on ‘South Asia in Emerging Regional Politics’ with Michael Kugelman, Khalid Banuri and Salman Zaidi moderated by Salma Malik.

‘Voices Echoing: English Language Verse from Pakistan’ which has carved out a significant place in the literary world. Poet and critic Ilona Yusuf moderated this discussion.

The evening session started with a befitting tribute offered to the veteran journalist and human rights defender I.A. Rahman by Harris Khalique, Zohra Yusuf, Raza Rumi, Mohammad Ziauddin and Kishwar Naheed.

A discussion on ‘The Power of Fiction’, with its role in shaping minds and human emotions was discussed by Tahmima Anam in conversation with Sabyn Javeri.

There would be no Islamabad Literature Festival without a Mushaira which was presided over by Iftikhar Arif featuring eminent poets from the twin cities, Tauseef Tabassum, Kishwar Naheed, Ehsan Akbar, Jalil Aali, Yasmeen Hameed, Parveen Tahir, Najeeba Arif, Harris Khalique, Akhtar Usman, Farrukh Yar, Ravish Nadim, Akhtar Raza Saleemi and Shakeel Jazib and as expected garnered a lot of attraction.

Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2021