Five-day 18th Karachi International Book Fair kicks off on 14th

One hundred and fifty leading publishers and booksellers of Pakistan and 40 exhibitors from 17 countries will participate in the 18th Karachi International Book Fair (KIBF) from December 14 to 18 at the Karachi Expo Centre.

The five-day KIBF 2023 has been organised by the Pakistan Publishers & Booksellers Association (PPBA). Addressing a press conference at a hotel on Monday, the KIBF managing committee said they are expecting Sindh caretaker chief minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar to inaugurate the book fair.

They also said Muhammad Ahmed Shah, interim minister for information, ministry affairs and social protection, and Karachi president of the Art Council of Pakistan, will be the guest of honour.

The KIBF is the country’s largest consumer and trade fair since its inception in 2005. The event brings together publishing and distribution houses, domestic and international publishers, booksellers, librarians and institutional customers on a single platform.

Publishers from Iran, India, Turkey, Singapore, China, Malaysia, England, the UAE and other countries are participating in the international event. The book fair has become a remarkable literary event with educated and motivated visitors from all walks of life.

More than 330 stalls will display books on all subjects to discerning readers, including a large number of families, students and book lovers from all over the country. These views were expressed by 18th KIBF Convener Waqar Mateen Khan and PPBA Chairman Aziz Khalid while speaking at the press conference.

Khan expressed his gratitude to publishers and booksellers for their participation in the fair, and the managing committee for their untiring efforts to make this event possible. He hoped that as in the past, this year also a record-breaking number of visitors will participate in the book fair.

Khalid said that this year’s edition will be remarkable and distinctive, as efforts are being made to establish effective working relationships with key international book fairs leading towards an exchange of professional expertise for highlighting the importance of book fairs at national and international levels.

“Fairs are not only book exhibits any more. International book fairs are very important forums not only for publishers but also for government agencies and missions as an effective tool for diplomacy,” he explained.

“Also underlined is the commitment to the propagation of knowledge by highlighting the values of humanism and ethics that promotetolerance, discussions and openness to others in a civilised society.”

The KIBF aims to motivate the nation’s youth and students to take part in cultural and creative activities to strengthen their role as pillars of an intellectually, scientifically and culturally flourishing future.

“Around 400,000 people are expected to visit the 18th KIBF. The event will be visited by book lovers, students from all groups and ages, professionals from all walks of life, academics, writers, librarians and the general public.”

Various book launches and book releases will also be held for notable writers during the fair, besides holding various contests of drawing, recitation, extempore speech and quizzes for children. The KIBF timings are from 10am to 9pm daily from December 14 to 18.

KIBF Deputy Convener Syed Nasir Hussain, Nadeem Mazhar, M Iqbal Ghaziani, Iqbal Saleh Mohammad, Nadeem Akhtar, Kamran Noorani, Owais Mirza Jamil, Saleem Abdul Hussain, Saad bin Aziz and Asghar Zaidi were also present at the press conference.