Adab Festival offers theatre, music, talks on books and diverse topics

The Adab Festival Pakistan, which has become one of the noteworthy literary events of the country in the recent years, returned for its 8th edition on Sunday at the Habitt City.

A remarkable lineup of speakers, thinkers and artists joined for a full day of insightful discussions, performances and celebrations of Pakistan’s literary and cultural heritage. The day kicked off with a play by the Grips Theatre titled ‘Unfit Ball Hai Dunya Meray Agay’ that was liked by children and adults alike.

The play was followed by a formal inauguration ceremony featuring speeches by Adab Festival co-founder Ameena Saiyid, Munis Abdullah, Shoaib Arshad and others. The coveted Adab Festival/Infaq Foundation Literary Awards for Urdu, Sindhi and English literary works were also announced followed by a musical performance by Arieb Azhar.

The sessions at the festival covered diverse subjects ranging from Pakistan’s agricultural potential and cultural heritage to the issues of social justice, feminism and education. The first session of the day featured former finance minister Miftah Ismail who conversed with Omayr Aziz Saiyid on economics and governance.

Ismail told the session that he had also worked at the International Monetary Fund. He said that he joined the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz around 2009-2010. He said he was booked in a case of ‘misuse of authority’ just for setting up a terminal at the Karachi port. He claimed that it was the most affordable terminal set up in record time. "I thought I would receive an award for it. I used to tell NAB officials that if a more affordable option could be done, then Shahid Khaqan and I would be willing to go to jail for 10 years," he remarked.

He said that while electricity production had indeed risen in Pakistan, industrial production and exports had not correspondingly increased. During the summer, the country's electricity demand reached around 31,000-32,000 megawatts, while in winter, it dropped significantly to 11,000 megawatts, he explained.

Ismail’s talk was followed by a session on the Quaid-e-Azam’s vision for the country featuring Yasser Latif Hamdani, Muhammad Ali Shaikh, Ali Usman Qasmi and Syeda Maham Zahra. Another interesting session was titled ‘Science, Art, and Heritage: A Lifelong Journey’, which featured a talk by Dr Abed Chaudhury who examined the intersections of science and cultural identity.

Pakistan’s agricultural potential was discussed in another session with panellists Syed Naveed Husain, Faisal Jahangir Malik, Dr Abed Chaudhury, and moderator Khurram Shehzad. A parallel session discussed Aisha Sarwari’s book ‘Heart Tantrums: A Feminist’s Memoir on Misogyny and Marriage’, in which the author talked with Maria Memon delving into the challenges women faced and the fight for gender equality.

A talk on education titled ‘Educating Pakistan: Success Stories and Best Practices’ featured educators and activists Nasreen Iqbal, Anjum Halai, Muhammad Ali Shaikh and Muhammad Hassan Khan who discussed the urgent need for educational reforms in Pakistan.

There was also a session on the Sufi music of Sindh in which Saif Samejo, Dr Sahar Gul, Mahtab Rashdi and Noorul Huda Shah celebrated the rich Sufi traditions of Sindh through music, poetry and storytelling, offering a unique exploration of Pakistan’s spiritual heritage.

In a session titled ‘The Story of Karachi’, Ali K Chishti spoke with Wajid Isfahani on Karachi’s political economy, and dark secrets. Later, Furqan T Siddiqui joined Chishti for a lively discussion on Karachi’s food.

Former bureaucrat Salman Faruqui discussed his life lessons with students Jawad Khan, Rabia Nasir Awaab Imam and Umer Khan in a conversation on his book. The Adab Festival also launched police officer Omar Shahid Hamid’s book ‘The Election’. Safinah Danish Elahi and Taha Kehar talked about it. The event concluded with a satirical talk by Anwar Maqsood.