The 8th Islamabad Literature Festival (ILF) concluded on Sunday with stimulating discourses, debates and book launches. Apart from virtual continuity duet to COVID SOPs, some face to face sessions held on the day including ‘Cartooning: No Laughing Matter’ while famous cartoonists Nigar Nazar, creator of ‘Gogi’ and Shaukat Mahmood, creator of ‘Maxim’ with Ricardo Martinez Ortega and Mahnaz Yazdani sharing that creating?wit and humor in pictures is indeed no laughing?matter.
The panel of speakers in Yaad e Raftagan had Fateh Muhammad Malik, Asghar Nadeem Syed, Najeeba Arif, Harris Khalique and Hameed Shahid and moderator Humaira Ishfaq pay a tribute to those who had passed on while leaving behind a rich legacy of their literary works for future generations. Renowned poet Kishwar Naheed in conversation with Mujahid Barelvi, for the launch of her books, Buri Aurat ki Doosri Katha, The Bad Woman’s Second Story, a sequel to her autobiography, Buri Aurat Ki Katha, the Bad Woman’s Story.
There were two more book launches. In Dying to Serve: Militarism, Affect and the Politics of sacrifice in the Pakistan Army, the author, Maria Rashid in conversation with Nida Kirmani spoke about how the book portrays the morale and commitment in Pakistan’s military culture in a compassionate way. The autobiography of Bacha Khan: My life and struggle is a lucid and historic English translation from the original Pukhto had a panel that included the translator, Imtiaz Ahmed Sahibzada with Rafiullah Kakar, Xenia Rasul Khan and was moderated by Fasi Zaka Changing landscapes: climate conversation in literature and society had an expert panel of Ahmad Rafay Alam, Elizabeth-Jane Burnett and Bilal Zahoor and moderator Zaighum Abbas discuss the awareness about human activities which have been the main driver of climate change. The afternoon session Hairat ka Bagh saw author Hameed Shahid discuss his new work, a collection of short stories and a novel, imbued with the mysteries and wonders of life. Moderator Fasi Zaka engaged with the author, Omar Mukhtar Khan in Once upon a time in Murree which captures the writer’s nostalgic love for magical hill stations. A special ILF panel with Vaqar Ahmed, Ashfaq Yousuf Tola, Aliya Hashmi Khan and moderated by Rashid Masood Alam discuss the impact of offshore tax havens in the session: Panama, Pandora and Pakistan, a hot current issue.
The session on: Digital Education: A new Normal started with an introduction by Fathima Dada, MD, Education Division, OUP UK in which she talked about a new global report published by OUP UK, the world’s largest university press, exploring the digital divide in education, following the shift to digital learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was followed by a panel discussion between Tallah Munir Khan, Nusrat Baquee, Sarah Farooq moderated by Daniel Atif further highlighting the trends shaping the digital learning landscape globally with a focus on Pakistan.
Book launch: Womansplaining: Navigating Activism, Politics and Modernity in Pakistan edited by Sherry Rehman sheds a light on the potential of Pakistani women, their innovative thought and commitment to activism. Book launch: Marginalization, Contestation, and Change in South Asian Cities edited by Nida Kirmani had Rohit Negi and Kabeer Dawani and Nida Kirmani discuss the struggles over space, resources, identities, and meaning taking place within South Asian cities.
