ISLAMABAD: Saeed Book Bank, the three-storey bookshop in Jinnah Super Market in the F-7 sector, is visited by booklovers from many parts of Pakistan and all walks of life, including students, teachers, civil servants, diplomats and others.
“We specialise in quality books in many genres,” says the founder, Saeed Qureshi, who started as a bookseller from a tiny kiosk of 3x3 metres, first in Rawalpindi and later in Peshawar, close to sixty years ago.
Last Sunday, he was all smiles, seeing his youngest son, Akbar Saeed, hosting a large group of guests in the all new bookshop, named Saeed Book Company, in the Time Square Plaza in F-11 sector. “The new shop is much smaller than the main shop in Jinnah Super,” says Akbar, “But the new shop gives a very modern feel.”
“I was particularly impressed by the children’s book section upstairs, and the university and college books, too, in fields such as engineering and management studies,” said a foreign woman, at the opening. “Compared to Europe and America, prices in Pakistan are still very reasonable,” she said. “But Pakistani customers may find that books have become expensive. Even Saeed Qureshi is worried about the prices.”
“And I got my stationery items, a magnifying glass and some other things I had planned to buy, along with some children’s books that I bought on impulse. It is indeed a well stocked shop.” “I am very happy for Mr Saeed Qureshi who leaves behind such a great legacy for his sons. I congratulate him and wish him success,” she added.
Muhammad Yusuf, the owner of Mr Books, who has a two-year-old modern bookshop in F-6 Super Market, was also there at the opening, with one of his sons, who is still a student but plans to become a bookseller, now specialising in IT with a view towards the future of the book industry.
“Yes, we are booksellers, but we also feel that we are cultural and educational institutions in our own ways,” Yusuf said.
“There is no worry from my side that we will take away each other’s business,” the booksellers agreed. “There is still scope for expansion for all of us in the book selling industry in a growing city like Islamabad.”
“Yet, book publishing is a difficult field. It is difficult to make money,” said Safdar Rashid, who some 6-7 years ago established a small publishing house named Poorab Academy in Islamabad, specialising in literature analysis and critique.
“I have a fulltime day-job, while publishing is something I do in the evenings and over the weekend. I am especially publishing books in Urdu, where there is a larger market. For such books, we need some financial support from the writers or their organisations,” he said. “We have to give the bookshop at least 50 per cent discount and the bookshops only pay after the books have been sold. Some 50 per cent is spent on marketing and sometimes on postage, too.”
“Except for the rare booksellers and publishers, such as Saeed Book Bank, none of us have become rich in the book industry. Yet, there is something special about the industry. I feel that the work is very important. In future, I hope that the government or private sector companies can set up support programmes so that the industry can grow. We need quality books at affordable prices,” said Safdar Rashid.
Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2014