17th edition of Karachi Literature Festival to take place from February 6 to 8

The Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) is set to return for its 17th edition from February 6 to 8 at the Beach Luxury Hotel, continuing its tradition of remaining free and open to the public.

Organised by Oxford University Press Pakistan, this year’s festival is centred on the theme Literature in a Fragile World, reflecting on how literature, poetry, and critical inquiry respond to moments of social, political, and cultural instability.

“In an increasingly fractured world, literature remains one of the last spaces where dogmas can be questioned, and humanity can speak to itself without fear,” said OUP Pakistan Managing Director Arshad Saeed Husain, outlining the festival’s broader intellectual vision.

The three-day event will feature more than 200 delegates from eight countries and include over 90 sessions. The programme also comprises 28 book launches across three languages, alongside two documentary screenings and two feature films.

Keynote addresses will be delivered by Senator Sherry Rehman, Mohammed Hanif, Nasir Abbas Nayyar, and Khurshid Rizvi. They will be joined by a lineup of writers, poets, scholars, critics, and cultural thinkers from Pakistan and abroad. Among the notable participants this year are filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Professor Richard Susskind CBE KC (Hon), Scottish historian and filmmaker Sam Dalrymple and novelist Laline Paull.

Several new initiatives have been introduced for this edition, including The Great KLF Debate, a Sindhi Mushairo, and an interschool debate, underscoring the festival’s focus on youth participation, linguistic inclusivity, and civic engagement. Literary discussions will be interwoven with dramatic performances, classical music, theatre, rap, and qawwali.

The programme also features a special session marking the 150th birth anniversary of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, which includes a screening of Jinnah, introduced by filmmaker Jamil Dehlavi, as well as a panel discussion on the life, thought, and enduring relevance of Allama Iqbal. Additionally, a session commemorating the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth is part of this year’s lineup.

A dedicated Youth Pavilion will host storytelling sessions, theatre activities, and interactive workshops for younger audiences.

The festival will conclude with the announcement of the 2026 KLF–Getz Pharma Book Prize winners, honouring outstanding contributions in English fiction, Urdu prose, and poetry.