Islamabad Literature Festival ends on a high note

Islamabad

Capital’s mega literature celebrations at Fourth Islamabad Literature Festival concluded here on Sunday by paying tributes to the legends -- late Intizar Hussain and Fatima Surraya Bajia -- at the Lok Virsa while marking the presence of a huge crowd during the event.

The festival was organised by the Oxford University Press (OUP) in collaboration with the Embassy of France, USAID-funded Pakistan Reading Project, Stylo, AWAAZ, Getz Pharma, Tapal, The World Bank Group, ICAS, British High Commission, Cinepax, ArtNow, and Careem. The venue was sponsored by the Lok Virsa.

The closing ceremony of the Islamabad Literature Festival was held at the Lok Virsa here on Sunday in which Oxford University Press Managing Director Ameena Saiyid, ILF Co-founder Dr. Asif Farrukhi and French political analyst and writer Christophe Jaffrelot shared their views regarding the achievements and accomplishments of this year's ILF.

Addressing the ceremony, Ameena Saiyid said that the ILF has become a symbol of the federal capital now. “At ILF, we saw young people holding books and chasing authors for autographs. It was my dream come true as I wanted our authors to be treated like rock stars,” she added. She further said that the ILF will bring more and more colour in the future.

French scholar Christophe Jaffrelot, on the occasion, expressed his gratitude for being invited to the fabulous ILF and said that literature could become the major tool to achieve positive societal changes.

The closing ceremony of the ILF was followed by an enthralling dance performance by Shayma Saiyid which was widely acknowledged by the audience. On the occasion, the Lok Virsa also held a special Sufi Musical Night.

The ILF started its third day with some amazing interactive sessions, dialogues and book launches. ‘Pakistani English Literature: New Books, New Writers, New Directions’ was moderated by renowned writer Muneeza Shamsie while Ilona Yusuf, Kanza Javed, Harris Khalique, Sophia Khan and Aroosa Kanwal shared their valued remarks on the topic. 

A session on ‘Cultural Policy and Dynamics in South Asia’ was also held in the first half yesterday in which Indian guest Sumant Batra participated along with well-known Pakistani artist Salima Hashmi and Lok Virsa Executive Director Dr. Fouzia Saeed. The session was moderated by Mohammad Waseem.

Pakistan’s former foreign minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri talked about his book ‘Neither a Hawk nor a Dove: An Insider’s Account of Pakistan’s Foreign Relations including Details of the Kashmir Framework’. The discussion was participated by Indian journalist Sudheendra Kulkarni, Mehr Tarar and Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, while Zahid Hussain was there as the host.

A special session on ‘Love and Revolution: Faiz Ahmed Faiz by Ali Madeeh Hashmi and Over My Shoulder by Alys Faiz’ was also held on last day of ILF in which Ali Madeeh Hashmi, Moneeza Hashmi, Salima Hashmi, Nasreen Azhar, and Navid Shahzad shared their views with the moderator, Aisha Sarwari.

On the occasion, a book ‘A History of the Judiciary in Pakistan’ by famous lawyer Hamid Khan was also held which was moderated by Ijaz Shafi Gilani, while the participants included Ijaz Hussain, Hamid Khan, Faisal Siddiqui and Khawaja Muhammad Farooq Mehta.

On the last day, the ILF paid a huge tribute to late Fatima Surraya Bajia and late Intizar Hussain in two separate sessions. Zehra Nigah, Masood Ashar, along with the moderator, Arfa Sayeda Zehra, expressed their deep respect for the work done by Bajia while saying that she will never be forgotten in Urdu literature. Another session ‘Kahanian Awaaragard Hoti Hain’ was held in the honour of late Intizar Hussain in which Kishwar Naheed, Masood Ashar, Fahmida Riaz, Mustansar Hussain Tarar and Saif Mahmood shed light on his accomplishments.

Renowned scholar Framji Minwalla moderated a session on ‘The Past is a Foreign Country: How Does History Inform Fiction?’ which was participated by H M Naqvi and Pran Nevile. A special session ‘Media: More Independent, Less Responsible’ was also held in which Rashed Rahman, Farhan Bokhari and Nasim Zehra took part with the moderator, Saif Mahmood.

French analyst Christophe Jaffrelot participated in a conversation on ‘The Pakistan Paradox: Instability and Resilience’ with senior journalist Babar Ayaz and Mohammad Waseem. The 'State of Urdu Literature in Pakistani School and College Syllabi' was discussed by Zafar Syed, Qasim Yaqoob, Ali Akbar Natiq and Nasir Abbas Nayyar, while the moderator was Najeeba Arif.