KARACHI: The Karachi World Book Fair (KWBF) 2025 will be held at the city Expo Centre from Dec 18 to 22.

This was announced at a press conference called by the organisers of the event at the Karachi Press Club on Monday.

According to chairman of the Pakistan Publishers and Booksellers Association (PPBA), Kamran Noorani, the KWBF has become a landmark event in Pakistan’s cultural and educational landscape.

“It brings together readers, authors and institutions under one roof to celebrate the power of books and knowledge,” he said.

Meanwhile, the secretary general of the PPBA, Waqar Mateen Khan, who is also the convener of the fair, informed media that 85 per cent of the exhibition space has already been booked.

“This year we are expecting over 500,000 visitors to the fair,” he said, adding that they appreciate the continued enthusiasm from publishers, institutions and the book reading community.

“It reflects the fair’s growing stature as one of Pakistan’s most anticipated annual cultural events,” he said.

PPBA’s Vice Chairman Nadeem Mazhar highlighted that the National Book Foundation (NBF), along with several other government organisations, is also extending its full support to the KWBF. He praised the regional director of the NBF for his active collaboration and efforts to promote literacy and access to books nationwide.

“The event management partner of the Karachi World Book Fair, Event and Conference, is handling all logistical, venue and exhibition arrangements,” its Director, Rashid-ul-Haque, said, expressing his satisfaction with the coordination between the PPBA team and participating exhibitors.

He shared that preparations are well on track to deliver a highly organised and visitor-friendly book fair experience in December.

Chairman of the Urdu Bazar Traders Association, Sajid Yousuf, also expressed solidarity with the PPBA while assuring active participation of Urdu Bazaar publishers and booksellers in making this year’s fair a resounding success.

The press conference was attended by managing director of Lightstone Publishers, Ameena Saiyid; NBF’s Regional Director, Fayyaz Ali Awan; Iqbal Saleh Mohammad of Paramount Books; Saleem Abdul Hussain of Liberty Books; Ahsan Jaffery of Say Publishers; and Muhammad Iqbal Ghaziani, Syed Nasir Hussain and Nadeem Akhtar of the PPBA.

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2025