After illuminating capital city, ILF comes to a close
Granta Award winner Kamila Shamshie read out extracts from her upcoming novel.
Zia Mohyeddin’s session was filled to the brim with people from all age groups. PHOTO: MYRA IQBAL/EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD:
The first Islamabad Literature Festival ended here on Wednesday having attracted over 15,000 participants across 35 sessions. During the two days, 70 leading Urdu and English writers, poets, intellectuals, journalists and diplomats enlightened audiences by interacting in stimulating discussions. The highlight of the festival was the participation of youth, who displayed a fervent interest in literary and current affairs issues.
Granta Award winner Kamila Shamshie read out extracts from her upcoming novel, which chronicles the wartime travails of a Pathan soldier between 1915 and 1930, shedding light on life in Peshawar during this period.
Zahid Hussain during the session on conflict and extremism in the AfPak region expressed his reservations about the risk of increased terrorism in Pakistan following the withdrawal of US forces in 2014. The roots of militancy were deep-rooted having developed under the state’s patronage, he remarked.
Zia Mohyeddin’s session was filled to the brim with people from all age groups, who found seats wherever they could, even if it meant on the floor. He didn’t disappoint, mesmerising the audience with his eloquence, humour, and satire.
The session on popular television dramas fielded Seema Tahir, Lylea Zuberi, Amjad Islam Amjad and Khawar Azhar.
The session on “How to write a Novel”, conducted by HM Naqvi and Irshad Abdul Qadir, attracted a host of amateur and aspiring storytellers, while Kamila Shamsie spoke about her recent achievement as one of Granta’s Best Young British novelists.
Rasul Bakhsh Rais, Humayun Gauhar and Riaz Khokar engaged in an engrossing debate during their session “Pakistan at the Crossroads.” The panelists’ comments also elicited some passionate responses from the audience. The closing ceremony’s key note address was presented by the legendary Zia Mohyeddin, bringing the festival to its official end amid hope that success on the levels of the Karachi Literature Festival can be reached in the years to come.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 2nd, 2013.
The first Islamabad Literature Festival ended here on Wednesday having attracted over 15,000 participants across 35 sessions. During the two days, 70 leading Urdu and English writers, poets, intellectuals, journalists and diplomats enlightened audiences by interacting in stimulating discussions. The highlight of the festival was the participation of youth, who displayed a fervent interest in literary and current affairs issues.
Granta Award winner Kamila Shamshie read out extracts from her upcoming novel, which chronicles the wartime travails of a Pathan soldier between 1915 and 1930, shedding light on life in Peshawar during this period.
Zahid Hussain during the session on conflict and extremism in the AfPak region expressed his reservations about the risk of increased terrorism in Pakistan following the withdrawal of US forces in 2014. The roots of militancy were deep-rooted having developed under the state’s patronage, he remarked.
Zia Mohyeddin’s session was filled to the brim with people from all age groups, who found seats wherever they could, even if it meant on the floor. He didn’t disappoint, mesmerising the audience with his eloquence, humour, and satire.
The session on popular television dramas fielded Seema Tahir, Lylea Zuberi, Amjad Islam Amjad and Khawar Azhar.
The session on “How to write a Novel”, conducted by HM Naqvi and Irshad Abdul Qadir, attracted a host of amateur and aspiring storytellers, while Kamila Shamsie spoke about her recent achievement as one of Granta’s Best Young British novelists.
Rasul Bakhsh Rais, Humayun Gauhar and Riaz Khokar engaged in an engrossing debate during their session “Pakistan at the Crossroads.” The panelists’ comments also elicited some passionate responses from the audience. The closing ceremony’s key note address was presented by the legendary Zia Mohyeddin, bringing the festival to its official end amid hope that success on the levels of the Karachi Literature Festival can be reached in the years to come.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 2nd, 2013.