KARACHI: As many as 150 leading local and foreign publishers are expected to exhibit their works in the upcoming 17th Karachi International Book Fair (KIBF), event organisers shared at a briefing held at a local hotel on Tuesday.

Organised by the Pakistan Publishers and Booksellers Association (PPBA), the five-day public show is scheduled to open at 10am on Thursday (tomorrow) at the Expo Centre Karachi.

“It brings together domestic and international publishing and distribution houses, booksellers, librarians and institutional customers on a single platform,” Aziz Khalid representing the PPBA told the audience.

The event, he said, would have representation of 17 international publishing houses from countries such as Iran, India, Turkiye, Singapore, China, Malaysia, England and the UAE.

150 local and foreign publishers to showcase work at five-day event in Expo Centre

According to Mr Khalid, the fair would also feature the launch of several books by notable writers as well as interesting competitions, especially for children.

“Today book fairs are important forums not only for publishers, but also for the government agencies/missions as they are used as an effective tool for diplomacy. The event also helps towards the exchange of professional expertise in all subjects related to promotion of local books and information at the international level.”

That edition would be remarkable and distinctive as efforts were being made to establish effective working relationships with key international book fair organisers, he hoped.

“There would be over 300 bookstalls for readers of all age-groups and backgrounds. We are expecting that this year’s fair will break all previous records and attract an extraordinary number of visitors.”

Recalling the fair’s launch back in 2005, Waqar Mateen Khan, also representing the PPBA, said the international event had now achieved the distinction of being Pakistan’s largest consumer/trade fair in over 15 years.

“The KIBF has become a remarkable literary event attracting visitors from all walks of life. We are committed to propagation of knowledge and valuation humanism and ethics that promote tolerance, respect and open discussion in a civilized society. We also aim at motivating the youth to take part in cultural and creative activities that could help them explore their potential and make them a productive part of society.”

Mr Khan expressed gratitude to the publishers and booksellers for their participation in the fair and the managing committee for their efforts to make the event possible.

Deputy convener Syed Nasir Hussain, Nadeem Mazhar, M. Iqbal Ghaziani, Iqbal Saleh Mohammad, Nadeem Akhtar, Kamran Noorani, Owais Mirza Jamil and Saleem Abdul Hussain were also in attendance at the presser.

The event would be inaugurated by Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah, the chief guest, while Mehtab Akbar Rashidi is expected to be the keynote speaker. Minister of University & Boards Ismail Rahoo has been invited as the guest of honour.

The fair timings are 10am to 9pm daily from Dec 8 till Dec 12.

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2022