LAHORE: Publishers from Saudi Arabia and the Middle East attended a book fair in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore this weekend for the first time in the fair’s history, showcasing growing people-to-people contact between Gulf countries and Pakistan.
The 33rd Lahore International Book Fair is being held at the Expo Center in Lahore from February 1-5, bringing together under one roof bibliophiles and local and international academic and research institutes and think-tanks, publishers, retailers, wholesalers and marketers.
Academic and literary links between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have always been weak but serious attempts are now underway to strengthen them, particularly through visits by Saudi heads of various think tanks, including Dr. Mohammad Al-Sulami and former ambassador Dr. Ali Saeed Awadh Asseri, who recently visited and spoke at policy institutions in Islamabad.
Zubair Saeed, Chairman of the Lahore International Book Fair Trust, told Arab News this was the first time think-tanks and a publishing house from Saudi Arabia and the Middle East were participating in the fair.
“We invite more think-tanks, research institutes and publishers from Saudi Arabia and Middle East and all over the world to join the Lahore International Book Fair every year,” he said.
“Our Pakistani brethren have shown great love and warmth and embraced me like a guest with their traditional hospitality,” Hashr Al-Badrani, a representative of the Riyadh-based Rasanah International Institute for Iranian Studies told Arab News. “The [Pakistani] students have shown keen interest and appetite for knowledge about Iran, Saudi Arabia and Middle East,” he said, adding that Pakistani masters and doctoral students were buying English and Arabic editions of the books on display.
Darussalam Publishers, an Islamic publishing house with its headquarter in Riyadh, had also set up stall with books on religion in Arabic, Urdu, English, French and Spanish. A representative of the publishing house, Okasha Mujahid, said the organization’s aim was to “familiarize people with Islamic history and teachings.”
“Since social media is spoiling our young generation, it is our duty to bring our children to such exhibitions and divert their attention toward books,” Ali Ahmad, a professor of international relations at a local university, said as he looked at books at Rasanah’s stall. He said book-lovers should read Arabic, Persian and other languages to learn about the people, politics, literature and culture of the region.
The 270 stalls at the fair showcased a variety of books on literature, poetry, art and culture, medical, engineering, science, general knowledge, history, social sciences, geography and religion. International publishers in attendance included John Wiley & SWons, Jones & Bartlett and Pearson Education from the United States, Oxford University Press from the UK, Springer Nature from Germany, as well as Cengage Learning, CBS Publishers and Distributors, Walters Kluwer, Khel Sahitya Kendra and S. Chand & Company, AITBS Publishers and Random House Publication.
Saudi, middle eastern publishers debut at Lahore book fair
Saudi, middle eastern publishers debut at Lahore book fair
- The 33rd Lahore International Book Fair to run from Feb 1 to Feb 5
- Saudi think-tanks set up stalls to strengthen academic and literary links
Ramadan tests Pakistan’s daily wage workers but faith endures
- Reduced work hours during fasting month cut already fragile incomes
- Charities, local businesses step in as laborers try to support families back home
ISLAMABAD: Abdul Waqif grips a worn-out shovel and digs into the earth beneath the harsh midday sun, his body bent with age but still moving steadily. Moments later, the 70-year-old hoists a heavy bag of cement onto his shoulders and carries it toward an under-construction house, all while fasting.
For Waqif and thousands of daily wage laborers across Pakistan, Ramadan is not just a month of spiritual devotion. It is also a month of shrinking incomes.
Waqif migrated from Mohmand tribal district in northwestern Pakistan to Islamabad two decades ago in search of work. Like many laborers from rural and former tribal areas, he left behind limited local opportunities to earn a living in larger cities such as Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.
In Pakistan, daily wage workers, particularly in construction and manual labor, are among the most economically vulnerable. They are paid only for days worked, receive no job security or benefits, and often rely on informal arrangements. Any slowdown in economic activity directly affects their ability to feed their families.
Economic activity typically slows during Ramadan, when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. Employers often reduce work hours or postpone physically demanding projects to ease the burden on fasting workers. While intended as a gesture of consideration, it means fewer working hours and fewer earnings.
For laborers such as Waqif, who earns between Rs1,000-1,200 [$3.59-4.31] per day, even a slight reduction in work can be devastating.
His suhoor, the pre-dawn meal before fasting begins, usually consists of a few chapatis from a nearby hotel. The hunger and thirst that follow him through the day are constant companions as he lifts bricks and mixes cement in the heat.
But so is his faith.
“Allah gives me courage. I am hungry and thirsty, but I keep working,” Waqif said while wiping the sweat off his brow.
Back in Mohmand district, his wife, four daughters and two sons depend on the money he sends home. Every rupee matters.
“I support them with this work,” Waqif said. “I eat three meals a day here and I also have to save money for my children and send it to them.”
The reduction in work during Ramadan weighs heavily on him.
“I don’t find much work in Ramadan, and I’m worried for my family,” Waqif said.
‘HONEST LIVING’
Finding food for suhoor is sometimes a challenge. On some mornings, someone offers him a piece of flatbread. Other times, he buys what little he can afford from a nearby eatery.
Muhammad Sajid, owner of Al-Hadi restaurant in Islamabad’s G-15 sector, says he tries to ease that burden by offering meals to laborers at half price.
“We don’t let anyone go hungry,” Sajid told Arab News. “We offer sehri and iftar as much as anyone can afford.”
The restaurant serves tea, yogurt, several types of curries and parathas.
Charity groups also expand operations during Ramadan, when community support traditionally increases. The Junaid Welfare Foundation runs a roadside dastarkhwan, or communal meal spread, serving hundreds daily.
Haq Rawan Shareefi, a manager at the foundation, said around 500 people are provided iftar meals each day. The cost of one person’s iftar is Rs200 [$0.72].
“That means, on iftar and sehri, our expenses range from Rs150,000 [$538.97] to Rs200,000 [$718.63],” Shareefi said.
For Waqif, breaking his fast at sunset brings temporary relief from the physical strain of the day. But the financial uncertainty remains.
“I ask Allah for this,” he said. “May Allah give me strength to earn honest living for my children.”
