Digitize books. Make them more accessible through apps & audiobooks. Publishers should invest in promoting local talent rather than just importing & printing pirated books. Local languages should be promoted instead of only English & Urdu.

Very good initiative keep it up

February --- the month of Language and Literary Festivals (mela).

That's a great news. We must promote book reading. I went to Germany road side free books were available just to promote book reading

Less emphasis on the media; perhaps one or two sessions only. In Pakistan, a literature festival is also an educational event for students. Two books which can become text books or suggested reading should be discussed. If politicians have to be invited with reference to a published book, their co-guests should be senior journalists or historians who can ask them pertinent questions.

Illeteracy has been identified as one of the three major problems what ales Pakistani society, Lacking Education, Lacking Healthcare and High Crime rates. Why not Chief Ministers announce their plans what they're doing to reduce/eliminate illeteracy in their provices? If not CM, than how about Education Ministers, in case they find some 'spare' time to care for this serious issue, eroding new generation, creating millions of illeterate adfults? Without competent, hard working and dedicated politicians, pakistan cannot progress like Turkey, Singapore, South Korea or Malysia.

There is a space problem in the LLF. All talks should therefore be available as podcasts (via the LLF website or better still via iTunes) to those who are unble to attend due to space or programme (where two talks of interest may be held simultaneously in different halls).

An annual literary festival in the urban centers won't really fix Pak's illiteracy, insecurity, and poverty problems. Even if we were to zoom in and explore literacy and education alone, you'd need much more than a few days every year to promote the two. To create readers, you need a targeted approach, which, like some one mentioned here, includes access to digital books, professional workshops to train aspiring writers, coordination b/w different universities, and corss-genre international writers for cultural exchange initiatives, diversity, and harmony. Most of all, you need to promote public libraries and a love for reading at the basic level with special emphasis on bilinguality. You can't produce honest, original work in either language if you're not at least moderately immersed in your own roots. Decolonization of the mind as well as the writer's pen is crucial if we're to move toward that goal. We also need to consider moving away from this new current (in the indo-pak) that our young writers seem immersed in--this realism superiority complex, whereby subcontinental literature has come to be defined as 'saas bahu drama', politics, and terrorism on repeat ad nauseum. We need to rediscover and encourage exploring alternate and speculative literature (fantastica) and global modes of fiction and poetry. Magic realism, hard and soft scifi, fantasy, slipstream, Weird, horror, neo-Gothic, and ne-noir--just a few genres that could be used as new lens to present old problems.

Digitalize each and every book and make it avaliable to everyone easily

I would want literature festivals in Pakistan to promote the emerging writers who are writing genres like romance, young adult and sci-fi. I've been noticing for a while that in Pakistan, attention is mostly given to those authors who solely write about controversial topics. Literature festivals should break the stereotype of promoting only hyped books and dedicate some sessions for the budding writers. They should kindheartedly welcome all the budding writers and encourage their work regardless of the genre.

Perhaps Joe Sacco and all those attending should also talk about how there is no access for wheelchairs & disable people at #LLF #LLF2015 There are no ramps or facilities for the disabled in all the halls.

Urdu literature should be promoted more as the majority understand it. Till the focus remain on english literature the Festival will be continued to look as elitist. The festival should be organize keeping in view the local population not to get the headlines in the Foreign Press ( NYT, Guardian or WP)

It is becoming an increasingly elite excercise which is quite contrary of our local cultural and literary traditions and culture. In our part of world literature was spread by oral tradition in rural areas and by spoken word in urban centres. We used to have Chopals, Baithak, Pak Tea house, all these places were socially and economically inclusive, and it is the beauty of literature, If we look into past there were open air theatres, and it was in reach of common man, but this extreme commercialisation of literature will not do any good to it. You can not find one contemporary poet/writer from lower income group in all these literary festivals, it is only a festival to celebrate people from higher income group, so anyone from lower income group writing group will never make it to these gatherings and will be eventually excluded from literary and social circles. It is promoting social exclusion further

Have community forums where people participate in discussion with guests on stage. Hold a debate on a topic and structure it with possibly a team or 1 on 1 with reknown guests.

Elite Capture!

Elite Capture!

There is a very prominent class divide that I witnessed at Klf. The attendees, participants, and volunteers are all from one class of the society. More representation and participation of other classes of the society should be encouraged. Also, there should be some discussion to condemn the stereotypical dramas on our television channels.

Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) is also attended by numerous people of interior Sindh. Sessions on the poetry of Shah Abdul Latif, Sachal Sarmast, Shaikh Ayaz, Ustad Bukhari are missed. Sessions on the aforementioned to be held in KLF.

make internationally acclaimed authours to participate more in the coming years giving thrust to women writing in particular !

I would like to add one thing I.e live poetry competition amongst different age group's of students. Invite top class poets ,local as well as International to judge their poetry to develop the sense of achievement.

●As it is called "Pakistan Literature Festival", the national language of our country "Urdu" should be given priority.Author who writes urdu books should be promoted and such books should attract the readers as mostly young students are indulge in reading English. ●The books which will promote good will between Pakistan and other countries should be promoted, in this festival will create strong relations and in diplomatic relations of Pakistan with the rest of the world. ●Books about the history of Pakistan should be given a huge space. ●Authors who write about the custom, traditions and cultural diversity in Pakistan and other countries should be introduce. Our people need to get a clear perspective of what are various cultures existing in Pakistan. The cultural description of countries who owns a good cultural history will keep us informed about different cultures existing across the globe. ●There should be books of famous and renowned authors which would help in clearing the perspective abroad "Muslims are terrorist" with moderate and rational point of view. Such books are definitely needed as this festival attended by many foreigners as wells. ●You have heard alot about the unique idea of "Coca Cola Book Bank", in the recent literature festival, it was appreciated much.The attending public had the chance to buy new books as well as donate their old books to a book bank.More than 2000 books were collected! The books collected during the festival were reviewed by The Citizens Foundation (TCF) and those suitable for children’s use were collected to be sent to their schools. Other books will be sold off in the market and the proceeds donated to TCF. Both activities will serve to help the underprivileged. ●New talent should be given a space. Those who are novice in writng should get an opportunity. Famous writers from the world should be invited to participate in the festival. ● Recent festival was attended by Nayantra Sehgal,niece of Jawaharlal nehru, participate It was a positive facet of the festival. Such renowned personalities presence can promote festival. ●Education minister presence should be must. It will have a great positive influence. ●Target the audience.University students, writers, celebrities can be many more. ●Media should be invited to highlight the brighter aspect of festival. ●Venues should not only restricted to hotels onlys. Festival should held in monuments. ●Cross genres discussion should

@Maria Yaseen Good points especially presence of edu minister. I missed it this time but next time i'll visit Karachi festival.