KARACHI: It was neither cold nor warm. This means, it was great weather conditions for book lovers to soak up the literary atmosphere as the 17th Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) organised by Oxford University Press (OUP) began at the picturesque Beach Luxury Hotel on Friday evening.

This year the theme of the event is, ‘Literature in a fragile world’. Only if a couple of speeches at the opening ceremony had been trimmed down would the evening have been even more enjoyable.

In his welcome address, Managing Director of OUP Arshad Saeed Husain emphasised the importance of literature with reference to the new world order. He said literature helps us trace human contours of macro level shifts. He talked about the challenges posed by AI and pointed out we are a young nation with two-thirds of our population under the age of 30. He said we need to meaningfully engage the youth in the economy. “Literature safeguards our freedom to choose. Writers are the engineers of imagination.”

Consul General of France, Alexis Chahtahtinsky said the theme of the festival reminds us how rapidly international environment is changing. He mentioned the attacks on an Imambargah in Islamabad on Friday and offered condolences to the families of the victims and the government of Pakistan. With regard to what’s happening in the world, he said there were conflicts — there’s a war in Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. “They have the potential of even bigger catastrophes.” He added, major crises have been avoided but raised the question: “For how long?”

Literature festival to witness panel discussions, mushaira, artistic performances

British Deputy High Commissioner Lance Domm condoled and condemned the attack in Islamabad. He said KLF has become one of the respected literary gatherings in the region.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah was the chief guest on the occasion. He, too, condoled the Islamabad incident. He said, “Each year the festival reminds us that literature is not a luxury. It’s a vital force that shapes societies, people’s understanding and elevates public discourse. This year’s theme is both timely and deeply relevant. We live in an age marked by environmental stress, global uncertainty, rapid technological change and social complexity. In such times, literature serves as a stabilising and humanising force, preserves memory, nurtures empathy and enables reflection. It reminds us that even in moments of fragility, the human spirit remains the power to imagine, to rebuild and to hope. From Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai to Sachal Sarmast, from Mirza Qaleech Baig and Sheikh Ayaz to post-independence literary giants, this land has consistently produced voices that speak of tolerance, pluralism and compassion.”

There were two, as per KLF tradition, keynote speeches on the opening day.

The first one was delivered by Senator Sherry Rehman. She said Pakistan has emerged alright in a very volatile and unpredictable global disorder. “I’ve been calling it that [disorder] for the last two years because that’s where the global frameworks of peace and security have gone. It’s always perilous to be in disorder but we should all be trained to see opportunity in challenges.”

She mentioned the challenge on the western border where Afghanistan has become restive and hostile. She argued that while there were geopolitical challenges, there was also a climate challenge which a lot of people deny. She then spoke at length on how to navigate the challenges in the new world disorder. “We need our young people to shine as human capital so they can grow as knowledge-based workers. We need our water and climate resources conserved and treated like a not infinite resource. These are finite resources. Nature will not give back again and again, until you give back.”

Critic Nasir Abbas Nayyar was the second keynote speakers. His paper was titled ‘literature and memory’. “We as individuals and as nations are made up of memories. We are different from others because our memories differ from others’. Memories are the basis for our individualism and collective identity.”

He said the story that we create for ourselves through our memories makes our identity. “Our identity (individual, national or global) is based on the story. If you change the order of events in your story, your identity will change. Those who oppose our identity, they create hurdles in our stories. They silence us in our stories. Sometimes they even murder us in our stories. And then they write our stories.”

After the speeches, prizes were given. The English Fiction prize went to Ferdowsnama by Shandana Minhas.

The prize for Urdu poetry was given to Aahang by Dilawar Ali Azar. And the Urdu prose prize was awarded to Namak Ki Betiyan by Naseer Soomro.

The sessions on the programme list for the first day of the festival, among others, included a Sindhi mushaira, a dance recital by Nighat Choudhary and the screening of the film Jinnah.

The festival will conclude on Sunday.

Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2026