Baqar to ask federal govt for reducing duty on paper import to ensure affordable books

The Sindh government will approach the federal government for reduction of the duty on the import of paper so that books could be more affordable for the public.

Sindh Caretaker Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar said this on Thursday as he addressed the opening ceremony of the 18th Karachi International Book Fair (KIBF) at the Karachi Expo Centre.

The five-day book fair will end on Monday.

"Books create awareness among people and lead to mental empowerment. They plays an important role in shaping society, so their importance cannot be ignored," the CM said.

He observed that the habit of reading books had been declining over time due to several factors, including the lack of development of reading habits among children, rising cost of books and excessive use of mobile phones.

Justice (retd) Baqar encouraged both the parents and teachers to cultivate the love for reading in children. He was of the view that books were valuable companions that fostered empathy and ingenuity.

To a question, he said that the chairmen of educational boards had been removed under the law. “Most of them were working on deputation, having dual charges or some were working even after their retirement, which was illegal,” he said and added that the process of the recruitment of the new chairmen on merit would be initiated soon and in the meantime, the divisional commissioners had been given additional charges of these boards.

Congratulating the organisers of the book fair for holding a successful exhibition, he said the hike in books prices due to the increase in import duty on paper could not be addressed by the Sindh government as the duty on imported paper was a federal matter.

He, however, promised the book fair organisers that he would play his role in this regard and request the federal government to take measures that would decrease book prices.

He said the book fair was offering a unique platform for publishers, booksellers, librarians and institutional customers to converge at one place. He added that this annual gathering provided an exclusive opportunity to connect with the diverse and avid book readers in Karachi.

The CM said the event had garnered significant acclaim over the years, attracting both domestic and international participants. “It serves as a conduit for the exchange of ideas and creativity between writers and publishers, fostering a vibrant literary community,” he remarked, adding that the positive response from attendees had consistently elevated the stature of the KIBF, making it the premier book fair in Pakistan each year.

Pakistan Publishers and Booksellers Association Chairman Aziz Khalid, KIBF Convener Waqar Mateen, former federal minister Faisal Subzwari, journalists Qazi Asad Abid and Saeed Khawar were also present on the occasion.

Khalid said on the occasion that the annual book fair was being held continuously since 2005. The culture of reading is coming back through the book fair, he added.

The booksellers association chairman said that due to the extraordinary increase in paper prices, books had become very expensive. He added that local factories that made paper were also unable to meet the local requirements. He requested the chief minister to take up the matter with the federal government.

Subzwari said he was aware of the publishers' issues due to the increase in paper prices. He suggested that instead of relying on imported paper, local paper industries be promoted so that the country's economy also developed and publishers could get paper at low cost.

The MQM-P leader said that according to an estimate, 95 per cent of the people in the country had not read any book except those in their curriculum.

He was of the view that proximity to books was very important and there must be healthy arguments and dialogues. "We should promote interest in extra-curricular books apart from the curriculum," he added.

Students and general public arrived in large numbers on the first day of the 18th KIBF offering books on a variety of disciplines with a substantive discount.

Earlier, the office bearers of the PPBS received the interim CM and gave him a detailed briefing on the book fair. The CM was told that in the international book fair 40 publishing organisations of 17 countries were participating. The booksellers have set up 330 stalls,