Book bazaar: Two-day fair at SBBU concludes

Over 5,000 textbooks for 18 subjects sold at discounted prices.

PESHAWAR:

A two-day book fair at Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University (SBBU), Sheringal concluded on Thursday. Over 5,000 textbooks for 18 subjects were displayed at the book fair and sold at discounted prices.

The initiative was organised in collaboration with the National Book Foundation (NBF). The university’s faculty members, students and representatives of the NBF attended the event.

Speaking on the last day of the fair, NBF’s assistant in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Alam Khan said the book fair is aimed at preserving the market for printed books. The demand for printed books has diminished in the digital age, added Khan.

According to Khan, book fairs are a positive step in dealing with the challenges posed by the internet. Furthermore, he announced the NBF’s plans to establish a Readers’ Club in Peshawar as well as other initiatives to sustain the culture of books.

The NBF’s regional director for K-P, Murad Ali Mohmand, lauded the book fair as a step in the right direction. Mohmand thanked the vice chancellor and registrar at SBBU for assisting them in preserving the culture of printed books in Dir.

The NBF is making a consistent effort to assist students in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. At the book fair, students from the region were given discounts of up to 50%.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 13^th, 2014.