By the book: ‘Let’s fight extremism with books’

10th Karachi International Book Fair 2014 kicks off at Expo Centre

KARACHI: Extremism takes its roots in a society that does not befriend books, Muttahida Qaumi Movement MPA Faisal Subzwari said on Friday.

He was speaking at the opening of the 10th Karachi International Book Fair 2014 at Expo Centre. "The current wave of extremism in the country is because citizens do not have access to books," Subzwari said.

The four-day fair features 330 bookstalls along with fun-filled activities at halls 1, 2 and 3 of the Expo Centre. It was officially inaugurated on Friday a day after the gates were opened to the public on Thursday. Senior Minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro was the guest of honour.

A large number of schoolchildren along with their teachers visited the fair offering books for all age groups. Some of them were seen taking photographs; others just roamed around. Exhibitors, including Play To Learn and Children Publications, are displaying textbooks and reading books for children. Some such as Liberty Books are offering books at the cut-price of as low as Rs100.

Khuhro said society was on the verge of decline and that book fairs served as a resistance to extremism. "The government plans to allocate a separate budget for libraries," he said.

Youth Parliament chairperson Rizwan Jaffery hosted the opening ceremony. He said this year's book festival was dedicated to 132 children who lost their lives in a terrorist attack at the Army Public School in Peshawar on Tuesday.

National Book Foundation Director Inamul Haq stressed the need for publishing good quality content at economical cost.

He said the Foundation would soon introduce a 'books on wheels' project offering people books at their doorsteps.

"People will be able to sit and read in these vans, and be able to purchase books," said Haq. "Two such vans have already been arranged by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA governments. A van each for the Punjab and Balochistan is being acquired."

Published in The Express Tribune, December 20^th, 2014.