18th KIBF draws to a close boasting of ‘over half a million’ visitors

The 18th Karachi International Book Fair (KIBF) organised by the Pakistan Publishers & Booksellers Association (PPBA) at the Karachi Expo Centre concluded on Monday, with “over half a million” people visiting during the five days of the event.

On the last day of the KIBF, publishers offered books for sale at highly discounted rates, which were well appreciated by book lovers. According to an estimate, the number of visitors to the book fair, which ran from December 14 to December 18, exceeded 500,000.

Among those visiting the event were students of schools, colleges, universities and seminaries, women, the elderly, lawyers, retired and present judges, foreign diplomats, other prominent personalities belonging to politics, literature and private school organisations, and people from different walks of life.

Around 330 stalls were set up by local and foreign publishers and booksellers. Even on the concluding day, the interest of the visitors and the enthusiasm of the shoppers was clearly visible.

KIBF Convener Waqar Mateen, Deputy Convener Syed Nasir Hussain, PPBA Chairman Aziz Khalid, Secretary Taha Jamal, Coordinator Sheikh Alamgir Yusuf, Media Coordinator Abid Zubair, Nadeem Akhtar and other members expressed gratitude to the local visitors as well as to those who came to the KIBF from other cities and countries.

They said that a large number of students and other people visited the book fair, and showed their love and affection for books. Various competitions based on practical activities were conducted at the KIBF for the interest of students, while more than a dozen books were launched by literary personalities.

For the first time in Pakistan, a table calendar for visually impaired people and a hand-made Formula One sports car were also introduced at the book fair. Also, for the first time in the world, a Palestine board game was introduced to educate children about Palestinian cities and wars.

Several academic and literary seminars were conducted by academics and doctors on the academic and psychological problems of children, and their solutions. History, fiction and practical activity books as well as textbooks were sold in large numbers.

The KIBF was inaugurated by Sindh caretaker chief minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar, while Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Faisal Subzwari also participated in the opening ceremony.

Those who visited the fair included interim information minister Ahmed Shah, MQM-P Convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, former federal IT minister Aminul Haq, former education minister Syed Sardar Shah, MQM-P leaders Khushbakht Shujaat and Nasreen Jalil, Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi Ameer Naeemur Rehman, JI leader Mairajul Huda Siddiqui, Aamir Chishti, Dr Hilal Naqvi, Ameena Saiyid, and other literary, social and political personalities.

ATM facilities were also provided for the convenience of the visitors, while strict security arrangements were made in and around the Expo Centre.

KIBF Convener Mateen said that all the previous records of participation of students and other people in the book fair were broken. He said publishers ran out of all stocks.

In response to a question, he said that 40 to 45 more publishers and booksellers had expressed their desire to participate in the KIBF, but due to a lack of space, they could not be accommodated. “We’ll try to take this book fair to other Pakistani cities in the future.”

MQM-P Convener Dr Siddiqui and former federal minister Haq said on the occasion that the KIBF has dispelled the impression that books have lost their importance in the age of mobile phones.

However, they pointed out, there is no substitute for reading books. Talking to the media, they commended the entire KIBF team for maintaining the tradition of the book fair. They said book lovers come here in large numbers, so such events should also be organised in other cities, including Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar, so that the habit of reading books increases.

Former education minister Shah told the media that the participation of “millions” of people is a pleasure to see, as it shows that there are still people who are fond of books, and that the trend of books is still there.

He said the Pakistan Peoples Party’s dream is to have an educated Pakistan, and the KIBF is its manifestation. Replying to a query, he said that during the opening ceremony of last year’s book fair, he had said the event would be extended to other cities of Sindh, including Hyderabad, Sukkur and Larkana.

“We had also been working on it together with the Pakistan Publishers & Booksellers Association, but the period of our government completed in the meantime, and so that matter was left unfinished.”