Excellent coverage DAWN! Way to go!

It is strange to read news about the Literary conference in which the English Writers are participating. The language of Literature in Pakistan is Urdu. There is mention of any Urdu writer.I am wondering why Intazar Hussain and Mustansir Hussain Tarar have accepted the invitation to participate in this Conference. They have written some material in English but they are not English writers. There is lot of confusion about this Literary Conference. It looks like conference have been Organized by the English Publishers.

mesmerising

Excellent coverage. And thanks so much for the excellent photos Dawn. Keep up the good work!

Wonderful coverage agaib. Bravo!

Please fellow the rules.this waste of time only.where is rules.

Great event

GREAT.

**Finally something to joy for those who are in love with LITERATURE.**

The fact that the literary festival is happening is great news. Stands in bright contrast to the depressing headlines emanating from Karachi on a daily basis. Such events have a definitive humanizing effect on society. If literature is to broaden minds further diversity among participants is the next goal to achieve. Just a month ago, I attended the Jaipur Literary Festival. Represented on the stage as also in the audience were lovers of literature from diverse religions, countries, and diverse perspectives. When I see the names in the captions in the above report on KLF, by golly, we can use some diversity.

Thought provoking....

What a treat for a forlorn former Karachiwala! Thanks DAWN.you took me home to my teens in 50's and 60's. Oh yes the British Council my after school and Summer refuge. S.C.

It's like I was there, very well done, as expected:)

Good Coverage. Enjoyed the read

It is a Great Event, Being a Karachiites myself now living in US, I definitely missed this 5th Karachi Literature Festival held at Beach Luxury Hotel and DAWN.com did a good job covering the whole event, they should put a Live Doumentry on this site.

Thank you,KLF for projecting soft image of Karachi,i.e Centre of literature,poetry & tolerence .

I suppose the intellectuals in Pakistan have nothing better to do than to spread despair - unfortunately it is only a testament to their own impotence. What good are they doing for the common people of Pakistan? The best picture was the one of the poor man serving food to the elite: he represents the people of Pakistan, not these snooty literati.

Too much commercial in nature! New Year but same old people!

Good reading.March of Time.Spread of knowledge.Inevitable corrosion of dogmas. inquisitive human mind,Every where yearning to progress,ready to remove the shackels of isolation and ignorance,refuses to live ,think in a box.The human spirit, ever ready to to be free,not a bounded or bonded slave of any body ,ANYBODY,through KNOWLDGE,not forced idealogies/revelations.DAWN's effort and services are deeply appriciated.

Since yesterday, the first thing I do every morning is open my laptop and got to the Dawn's KLF page. I am overwhelmed at the content and so missing the event. The people, the extensive and inexhasutive topics... hats off to the Oxford University Press for bringing together the literati of Pakistan at a forum that is befitting and honours them, to Dawn for the coverage and most of all the people of this country (and the so compromised, victimised Karachiites) who deserve and need to understand the necessity of literature.. which is vital to develop any sense of QUALITY....

Excellent coverage by DAWN.

A job well done by OUP and exceedingly well covered by Dawn. The only challenge, and a formidable one, is to somehow engage the thousands of marginalised teachers and students from the less fortunate areas of Pakistan so they go home with some ideas and inspiration...otherwise, like the English papers and their columnists it will end up being the same views being read by the same people.

What a thrilling event. Thanks for the extensive coverage and the content. I wish I was there to attend such an interesting event. Pakistan is alive and well with such eminent writewrs

Keep it up . Session with Ameer Jalil ,Hamida Khuro , and Parveen Shakir was very informative .. overall program was superb!

@Ghazal: Stop crying and appreciate good step!

I am an enthusiast follower of this festival, which I attended last year. I wished somebody may have written more details about it for followers like me living thousands miles away with deep interest to know if Pakistan can bounce back from its lowest ebb

@Anwar Khawaja: It is a wonderful assembly of huge talent that Pakistan has so richly displayed and I am so happy and so thrilled beyond any words to see young, old and all with such diversity in style, fashion and heritage. Dawn, and every citizen of Pakistan, especially the Karachiites and all participants deserve a thunderous, standing ovation for this splendid performance. Long live Pakistan that still knows to smile and is so pluralistic at core.

@Ghazal: And you are saying that because you've done loads for the poor in Pakistan I take it?....... Oh wait, you probably haven't! At least they're doing something productive with their time albeit it only appeals to a certain segment of the society.. Time better spent than posting negative comments in my opinion. Looks like a great event. Good to see something positive coming out of Karachi.. It's been a while!

Mostly, the news from Karachi is depressing. However, the excellent coverage of the literary festival and especially the participation of so many women is like a breath of fresh air, raising much optimism. The sight of children laughing and enjoying the puppet show is heart warming. The organizers deserve all compliments

It is heartening to see that such a nice event has been organized in Karachi, Pakistan. We need to arrange such event more frequently so that we can keep in touch with our culture, tradition and values. This is equally important in a time when there is continuous attack of narrow minded extremist group and people who are bent to bring in their brand of lifestyle. Congratulation and thanks to the organizer of this event for organizing this event.

The literature festival coverage is excellent as far as photography is concerned,however there is very little written about what is read and spoken at the forums. It is a pity Urdu and other language literature did not get as much coverage but I am content to know there is a stir in the air and a trend is being set for reading real books than face books.

I am so happy to see Karachi Literature Festival. And the coverage by Dawn all three days was AMAZING. The reporters, photographers, editors and web editors all deserve credit for bringing us this absolutely great coverage.

Why does Kamila Shamsie need to appear every year? She isnt the single face of Pakistani Literature in English, there are a dozen other good writers who deserve recognition, respect and publicity. And if you notice, she had achieved some standard of success almost a decade ago. And after that she couldn't produce anything that received much praise or success.

How come there is no mention of the amazing session on Dastangoi? It was perhaps one of the best sessions of the festival.

Very healthy and good conversion

@Ghazal: Very well said Ghazal, It is a mockery of Pakistani literature/culture which was supposed to be in Urdu and regional Pakistani languages, and it should have been organized by local literary associations/groups who do not have complexes for foreign culture/literature. But unfortunately, it is being hijacked by foreign oriented highly influential Pakistani elites of all kind who spare no chance in publicizing themselves and promoting others culture under the umbrella of their foreign masters. It is more like a showbiz, a cat walk of so called literati in the name of local literature. I do not understand why these elite participants especially ladies are so much desperate to prove their intellectualism in foreign language and appearances? Is the local literature/culture on sale and by whom? zafarsyed40@yahoo.com

Had a wonderful day at KLF, specially kids loved all fun-filled events. I congratulate the organizations and sponsors to organize such a great event in Karachi. Karachiites needs more such peaceful activities.

@Anwar Khawaja: Very well said Khawaja Saheb, I wonder why our elites are so desperate to think, speak, read, write and represent our own local literature in foreign language? It is amazing, people like Intezar Hussain... come on, What are we up to? Are we that ashamed of our own culture/language that we still have to seek certification from our old masters, or is it new form colonialism? zafarsyed40@yahoo.com

I missed this awesome event :(

**Sir Zia Mohiuddin** was the only reason to click on this news but after that I am impressed with the coverage. **DAWN** gave a complete festival to people like me who is living far away from Pakistan. **Hats off**

To the people pouring cold water on this event - There are so many negative stories swirling in the media in Pakistan and beyond. This event is a ray of light so please support Literature (be it English or Urdu). Critical that our youth doesn't lose touch with the soul by not reading and reflecting.

Amid all the gloom and doom around, I am often crticized for being the Rational Optimist that I claim to be. However, it is events - and coverage - like this which adds fuel to my fodder. I maintain this is the real Pakistan - one which the Talibans of the world may damage, dent and bruise but would never be able to overcome.

I really enjoyed KLF... met with friends and listened intellectuals... enjoyed poetry with my family... children enjoyed a lot... KLF became my family festival, as most of my relatives were there :)

I wasnt able to attend KLF this year. It was really a pleasure reading this coverage.

excellent event ! family fun and learning together makes it a must visit place on my calendar ! Kudos to the KLF team !

Paracha sahab is missing.

I would like to thank Oxford press and others for organizing such an amazing Literature festival where the talks with great personalities were really refreshing. I personally attended closing ceremony and a session with Amar Jalil who is one of my favorite personality. Along with that, I had the chance to sit beside Rajmohan Gandhi the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi which is itself an honor for me. The Kathak dance and Laal band's performance made the festival unforgettable for me. So one thing I realized is that I should have also come on 1st and 2nd day but in future I won't miss this for sure :)

@Ghazal: Thank you for saying what you have said and that brings one more yet quite an important perspective to this forum. Poor and the downtrodden which constitute the most of human lot, not just in Pakistan but through out the entire world, should never be forgotten and left behind and that part of human society should always occupy our attention. But at this moment, let's all sing and celebrate the color, the joy and the melody that have united into this lovely rainbow all across the sky over Pakistan. Pakistan needs this and a lot more like this. Congratulations Pakistan; I love you though from very far.

@Alexa: Kamila is an excellent writer and deserves all the recognition she gets.

Dr. Iftikhar Salahuddin's book and presentation were the most remarkable of all. He is an ENT surgeon by profession, yet he found the time to dedicate 6 years to understanding and photographing one of the world's most complicated regions. His book is a visual delight and this presentation inspirational. Pakistan is lucky to have such a person.