KARACHI: Reading enthusiasts continued to throng the Expo Center in the southern Karachi metropolis over the weekend to attend one of the most prestigious book fairs in the country that kicked off on Thursday and will run until Monday, featuring over 350 publishers and sellers.

The Karachi International Book Fair (KIBF) was launched in 2005 by Pakistan Publishers and Booksellers Association before reaching a stage where its organizers began to describe it as the country’s largest book fair held annually in the city. Over the years, it has garnered significant acclaim, attracting both domestic and international participants and serving as a vital platform for the exchange of ideas and creativity between writers and publishers.

The event’s consistent success has established it as a key fixture in Pakistan’s literary calendar, though it was not held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but resumed a year after, highlighting its importance in promoting literature and reading culture in the country.

“This is the 18th exhibition of its kind and the largest book fair in Pakistan,” Rashid Ul Haq, one of the organizers, told Arab News on Saturday, adding that 15 more publishers had joined the book fair compared to last year when 335 had participated in the event.

“A large number of visitors are also present here, showing their eagerness for the book culture,” he added.

Syed Aqeel Abbas Jafri, a noted author attending the event, emphasized the need for more book fairs in the country.

“There should be at least two book fairs here in a year,” he said, urging the Expo Center management to lower their rents to enable publishers and authors to offer more discounts on the books that readers desired.

Jafri dismissed a widely held perception about the decline in reading culture in Pakistan which is sometimes attributed to the rise of digital media, saying there was no correlation between the two.

“Our nation has always been distant from books,” he said, adding it was “absurd” to blame digital and social media for taking people away from books since that had not happened in any noticeable way in advanced countries like the United States or Britain.

Speaking to Arab News, Asif Raza, an avid book reader, expressed his enthusiasm for the event, saying he waited for the annual event at the Expo Center throughout the year.

“When the book fair is held, I go on a buying spree since books are usually available here for a big discount,” he said. “Books are an integral part of life. People are reminded of that due to this book fair. Many of them tend to forget about this in the era of digital media.”

The organizers of the event said a large number of visitors could be seen at the event which proved that people wanted to read books.

“On peak days, nearly 50,000 people visit us from 10 am to 9 pm,” Haq informed. “We expect about 400,000 people from all walks of life to attend the event by the time it concludes.”

Young school students were also spotted at the exhibition with newly purchased books in their hands.

“It’s been fun,” Samiha Ahmed, who came to the event with one of her school friends, said. “I’ve enjoyed it a lot and found amazing books. There should be fairs like this everywhere so everyone has access to books.”