• Participants observe a moment of silence for Prince Karim Aga Khan
• Foreign diplomats speak about culture, heritage and creativity at the opening ceremony of three-day event
• Keynote speaker F.S. Aijazuddin talks about divisions, identity and true meaning of soil
• ‘Geography by nature is secular’, says Asghar Nadeem Syed in his second keynote address

KARACHI: The month of February, arguably, is the best time to organise a large-scale event, for the simple reason that the weather is heartwarmingly pleasant.

On Friday evening, as the three-day 16th edition of the Karachi Literature Festival began with the theme Narratives from the Soil, cool sea breeze welcomed authors and book lovers to the main garden of the Beach Luxury Hotel where the opening ceremony was to take place.

Proceedings began with a moment for silence for Prince Karim Aga Khan.

Managing Director of Oxford University Press Arshad Saeed Husain in his rather effusive introductory speech said our soil has nourished us all. It has many textures and aromas. “Our land is a unique blend of cultures… Are we doing justice to this land and its people.”

French Ambassador Nicolas Galey said the theme of the event is meaningful. It carries the foundations of past, present and future. “Soil is much more than earth… Soil is also the history of the country and its people.”

US Consul General Scott Urbom extended his condolences on the passing of novelist Bapsi Sidhwa and said her work will have impact for generations. “KLF showcases literary heritage. It’s a celebration of creativity and talent.”

Deputy Head of Mission, British Deputy High Commission in Karachi Martin Dawson said for three days, book lovers would be treated to a plethora of artists, poets and writers.

Ali Habib said KLF speaks of hope.

Provincial Minister for local bodies Saeed Ghani, who was filling in for Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah, said the importance of education cannot be overemphasised.

Eminent art historian F.S. Aijazuddin was the first of the two keynote speakers. Referring to the theme of the event, he said no one could argue that we Pakistanis are all modern sons and daughters of the soil, and asked, “But of which soil? My country has been a victim of political mathematics. It was born of division when in 1947 the provinces of Bengal and Punjab were divided.”

He said the country’s population is multiplying at a frightening rate each year. “Unlike India, which is the constitutional sum of its parts, we are disparate parts an ideological whole. We are the only country in the world whose borders after 78 years of independence have yet not been legally formalised or accepted by our neighbours, except for Iran.”

Mr Aijazuddin then raised another question: which is the soil he should call his motherland and be ready to defend.

After mentioning that the soil does yield a narrative, he said over the past 50 years, Pakistaniyat has become an international phenomenon. It is a claim to identity and the need to remember what we were before we became ’the other’. “Nowhere it is truer than in the writings of Pakistani writers and poets.” He went on to talk about how English has taken over as the language of governance, informing the audience on his experiences living in London along with examples of writers such as Hanif Kureishi who had to face racism growing up in the UK.

Writer Asghar Nadeem Syed delivered the second keynote address. He began his talk by reciting his own poem at the heart of which was the idea that he’s inherited a great cultural legacy yet he’s counted as a member of a sad nation. “Who is to protect that legacy?” He spoke about the Saraiki poet Riffat Abbas who in his work has analysed the three female protagonists Heer, Sohni and Sassui all of whom are the victims of a male chauvinist society. “We need to revisit our heritage. Heritage are not just monuments or cultural sites. Our heritage is alive in poetry, stories and music, which is our pride… We must remember, geography by nature is secular. When the first Parsi set foot on this land, the land smiled that it had become more colourful.” Then whoever came her, brought their own soil with them, he added, ending his speech with a Munir Niazi poem.

After the speeches, prizes were given. They were: The Monsoon Wars by Bina Shah (English fiction), Sindhu by Jeem Abbasi and Saat Janam by Shafqat Naghmi (Urdu prose) and Koh-i-Malal by Shariq Saeed (Urdu poetry).

The KLF-Little Book Company prizes for books in regional languages were given to Ashfaq Ansari (Sindhi), Karamat Mughal (Punjabi), Gul Mohammad Betab (Pashto) and Asad Bashak Buzdar (Balochi).

Published in Dawn, February 8th, 2025