The third and final day of the 12th Karachi Literature Festival (KLF), which is being held virtually and organized by the Oxford University Press was again a day full of interesting discourse and book launches. The virtual edition of the 12th KLF was supported by many sponsors including Getz Pharma and Bank of Punjab as the lead sponsor of the event.
The day started with the book launch of Agents of Change: The Problematic Landscape of Pakistan’s K-12 Education and the People Leading the Change written by Amjad Noorani and Nadeem Hussain. The book highlights the problems of school education in Pakistan and the ways forward. While accepting that school education in Pakistan suffers from serious quantitative, qualitative, and resource deficits, they see the remedies in the private sector and in the work of NGOs. The morning session also saw French-Algerian author Mohammed Moulessehoul (known by his pen-name ‘Yasmina Khadra’) discussing his writings with author and commentator Bina Shah.
The afternoon session Bhooli bisri Yadein was a conversation between Kishwar Naheed with journalist Mujahid Barelvi and it was a throwing back to the feminist poet’s experiences. London-based Kashmiri author Mirza Waheed discussed his novel with Hira Azmat in a session called Tell Her Everything. The Session was introduced by Michael Houlgate, Director, British Council, Karachi.
Authors Noorul Huda Shah and Yasmeen Hameed discussed the role and status of women in Pakistani literature in the session Khawateen aur Pakistani Zubanon ka Maujooda Adab. The other session running parallel was a book discussion on Ghalib: A Wilderness at my Doorstep: A Critical Biography by Mehr Afshan Farooqi. The conversation was moderated by Sharif Awan and was also joined by Dr Nomanul Haq.
Every year Getz Pharma sponsors the EACPE Film Awards. The theme this year was “What have we learned from the Pandemic?” The winners were announced, and the discussion was moderated by Aisha Munim Khan. The panellist for this session were Sakina Samo, Asim Abbasi and Saqib Malik along with Khalid Mahmood, CEO and MD Getz Pharma.
A fascinating and learned discussion on the intellectual history of Urdu Literature between the highly accomplished Urdu poet Zehra Nigah and the erudite and eloquent scholar of Urdu Arfa Sayeda Zehra ran parallel to the film screenings.
The late afternoon sessions started with a discussion on the Pakistan’s vulnerability to Climate Change. This session was introduced by Jack Hillmeyer, Consul General, US Consulate, Karachi. The discussion shed light on the challenges that the phenomenon of Climate Change poses for Pakistan. It was a stimulating dialogue between environment activists Tabith Spence and Rina Saeed Khan and was moderated by Amy Christianson.
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