Naimat Khan
KARACHI: Sindh Minister for Information, Labour, Human Rights, and Transport & Mass Transit Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has said that due to government’s positive efforts, Karachi is able to see the International Events like International Book Fair is being held here from Thursday.
This he said while addressing gathering of 13th International Book Fair is being held at Expo Centre Karachi organized by the Pakistan Book Sellers & Publishers Association, Karachi International Book Fair in collaboration with Express Group of Newspapers and National Book Foundation Government of Pakistan & Event & Conference International Pvt. Ltd.
Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has said that through such International Book Fair will left soft image of Pakistan at International level and create the habit of reading among our children and future generation for the betterment and development of prosperous nation. He offered full support and cooperation and hoped that such events will be organized in future for building the nation.
Today we are witnessing the improved law and order situation in the city due to collective efforts of law enforcing agencies including Army, Rangers and Sindh Police who taken concrete steps for the safety and protection of the citizens. Earlier Chairman Pakistan Publishers & Booksellers Association Mr. Aziz Khalid welcome the participants and briefed the salient features of the 13th International Book Fair, which was continues since 2005 and more than 5 lac peoples belonging to all walks of life attended the fair.
Convener Karachi International Book Fair Mr. Owais Mirza Jameel presented vote of thanks and said that 13th International Book Fair is being organized with the participation of more than 1 lac students of school / colleges of Karachi including civil society and media personal etc. in which 330 different stalls were displayed with variety of books and came from Iran, India, Turkey, Singapor, China, Malaysia, UK and Saudi Arabia publishers who displayed their books on concession rates for the easy reach for book lovers and readers.
Prominent Intellectuals, literary figures, poets, writers and social personalities also attended the such fair. Also different local and international languages like Urdu, Sindh, Persian, Punjabi, Gujrati, English books and periodicals were also purchased by the large numbers of people.
The Minister Information Syed Nasir Hussain Shah also visited different stalls of the Book Fairs and appreciated the efforts of organizers and publishers, booksellers and visiting people who shown their interest in such event. The Minister also visited the stall by Sindh Information Department where he witness the different publications by the department and history /struggle of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and other books including Hazrat Shah Abdul Latif Bhitaai, Qalandar Lal Shahbaz and Hazrat Sachal Sarmast etc. He also visited the stall of Idara-e-Noore Haq and Al Khidmat where he was also presented electronic /digital Holly Quran.
The Minister also distributed shields to the prominent publishers, booksellers, writers, poets including Mr. Satya Pal Anand who came from USA especially for book fair, Ex Federal Minister Javaid Jabbar, Mehmood Sham, Qazi Asad Abid, Zahida Hina, Anwar Ahmed Zai, Mansoob Hussain Siddique, Prof. Saleem Memon, Dr. Seher Ansari, Dr. Fatima Hassan, Dr. Ainur Raza, Azra Bano, Mehtab Ali, Z.H. Khurram, Dr. Buland Iqbal, Mazhar Abbas Rizvi, Azghar Naqvi, Khalid Shah, Abid Rizvi, Ali Asghar, and others were also present and spoke.
