GWADAR: The four-day book fair organised by the RCD Council in Gwadar concluded with a record sale of over Rs2.8 million worth of books.

The ninth edition of Gwadar Book Fair concluded on Monday with a grand ceremony attended by MPA Maulana Hidayatur Rehman, Fisheries Secretary Anwar Shafqat Shahwani, environmental social worker Safina Faraz, RCD Council’s patron-in-chief Khuda Bakhsh Hashim and president Nasir Rahim Sohrabi.

The theme of the book fair was climate change, a pressing issue that affects Gwadar.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Sohrabi emphasised that no matter how far the world advances, humanity will always rely on three things: the pen, the book, and knowledge. Despite the rise of modern technology, he said, the importance of the pen and the book will always remain.

He said the book fair helped challenge negative stereotypes about the Baloch people, emphasising that this is a land of book lovers, not terrorists.

During the event, it was announced that 29 book stalls were set up, with books worth Rs2.866m sold, including 11 dedicated to Balochi language books. Books worth Rs1.086m were purchased from the Balochi book stalls alone.

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2025