KARACHI: The five-day Karachi World Book Fair (KWBF) concluded on Monday evening at Expo Centre with organisers — the Pakistan Publishers and Booksellers — claiming that it broke all previous records in terms of footfall.
According to conservative estimates, they said, more than 550,000 people including students from more than 300 schools, colleges, universities and seminaries visited the annual show in five days.
The large number of people, who turned up for the book fair, is a testimony to the fact that, contrary to some intellectuals’ grousing, the book reading culture has not dwindled. In fact, it has increased — given the hundreds of thousands of books sold at the fair in the last few years. What kind of books are being read… is a different question altogether!
Inarguably, the most heartening aspect of the whole exercise is the involvement and interest in books of the younger generation. From day one (Dec 18), long queues of schoolchildren could be seen outside the main entrance to Expo Centre where the KWBF was held. They came from all corners of Karachi — from District East to Clifton and from Malir to District Central. Their enthusiasm for the event was infectious. Yes, not all of them bought books or were helped to buy books by their parents or teachers, their presence at the venue enabled them to imbibe the atmosphere suffused with the earthy smell of books.
Over 550,000 people visited Expo Centre during five days, organisers claim
On Sunday (Dec 21), for example, two children who have not yet entered their teens, were happily moving around with their teacher around the three halls of the venue where books had been displayed. The teacher had a degree in marketing but was a lover of books. The kids, wearing school uniform even on a Sunday, had a couple of bags in their hands filled with… yes, books. When asked what were they about, they said ‘word search’.
The key word here is ‘search’. This is exactly what reading a book benefits a reader with. And this is exactly what the keynote speaker on the opening day of the fair, Ahmed Shah, had talked about. Books transport you to places that you dream about — to the world of Sufis, Socrates, Ghalib, Einstein, Sadequain and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. They fill the reader with a sense of curiosity. The curiosity to learn.
As for adults, they were seen at the fair getting their hands on publications focusing on all sorts of subjects: spiritual, literary, philosophical, self-help, management skills, etc. Also, a words-related celebrity culture is, albeit imperceptibly, catching on which is good, because it’s the writers and thinkers who need to be celebrated most. Announcements were made on Saturday through the PA system about the poet Pirzada Qasim’s presence in one of the halls where people could meet him and talk about his art and work.
More such events, please.
Published in Dawn, December 23rd, 2025
