Literary Festival Highlights: Climate, media ethics, and political dialogue
ILF Day 2: Celebrating political, cultural discourse & the power of literature. The second day of the 10th Islamabad Literature Festival (ILF), in collaboration with Getz Pharma (Title Sponsor), and NEO Paints (Gold Sponsor), displayed a powerful lineup of book launches, panel discussions, poetry sessions, and film screenings under the theme “Words Change Mindsets.” Attended by prominent authors, poets, scholars, and cultural icons, the festival celebrated the transformative power of literature, art, and dialogue.
The highlight of the day was the screening of Umro Ayyar: A New Beginning, a cinematic adaptation of classic folklore, which captivated the audience with its fresh and imaginative storytelling.
The day comprised multiple engaging book launches. Tareekh Ki Azeem Feminist Auratein by Naeem Mirza and Kishwar Naheed opened the lineup, with a discussion led by moderator Sameena Nazir. In another compelling launch, Another Story of the Bad Woman by Kishwar Naheed brought together Kathy Gannon, Nadia Tahir, Arshad Waheed, Ilona Yusuf, and Safeer Awan, moderated by Asma Mansoor, to explore bold narratives challenging societal norms. Awais Khan’s In the Shadows of Love was read and discussed by Shaza Khan, while What More Could She Possibly Want? by Ayesha Husain sparked a thoughtful conversation between the author and Sonia Irum. Shafqat Naghmi’s Saat Janam, discussed with Arshad Mahmood Nashad and Asghar Nadeem Syed, moderated by Hameed Shahid. Miltay Hain August Main by Inaam Nadeem featured a dialogue with Hameed Shahid. Mere Jinn Nikal Gaye by Hamid Ateeq Sarwar featured insights from Sarwar Sharif Awan, Harris Khalique, and Qurat-ul-Ain Haider, with Sultan Nasir moderating. Bhadoon by Madiha Arsalan saw a discussion with Ismaa Sa’adat, moderated by Sara Ali, while Safdar Rasheed’s Kahani aik nazm ki, exploring T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land, was discussed with Rashid Saleem.
Iftikhar Arif, paying tribute to the departed scholars in Yaad-e-Raftagan, stated, “We wish to keep them living for us – their contributions are exemplary, but most significantly their identification with the Tarraqi Pansand Tehreek is responsible for some of the greatest jewels adorning our literary skies.”
Mushahid Hussain and Ikram Sehgal, in Pakistan Bangladesh Relations – A New Perspective, insisted on bridging the trust deficit between the two nations, “We need Bilateral relations with no visa or tariff – with the natural assertion of Muslim identity in Bangladesh, we have a renewed vigor. Ground realities have changed, and time is right to break the artificial barriers.”
Unlocking Worlds explored the weakness of artificial intelligence for translations and encouraged personal perspectives to be retained instead of mechanical interpretations.
Fateh Muhammad Malik, in Iqbal ka Paigham Daur-e-Hazir ke Naam, lamented the loss of learnings that Iqbal had so brilliantly encased in his poetry, while Walid Iqbal shared his grandfather’s letters to showcase the humane and philosophical perspective of the great scholar.
Moderated by Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, ‘Only democracy can empower a nation with human rights’ was the topic under debate in the session titled, The Issue of Rights – Empowering Citizens, with Peter Jacob, Farhatullah Babar, Romana Bashir, and Pritham Das Rathi.
In another session, Khalid Banuri and Salma Malik took the discussion to a new paradigm of Human vs National Security and navigated the intricacies with Vaqar Ahmed moderating the session. Salma said, “Neither Harris nor Trump pursued office for the sake of Pakistan’s future. Where is our own trajectory? What is our plan?”
In the session titled Shaping Pakistan’s Climate Future, Ali Tauqeer Sheikh stated, “In Pakistan, the horrors of climate change are merely a passing nuisance for the elite, while its unprecedented annihilation for the poor.” Other panelists included Aisha Kahn, Abid Suleyri, and Rina Saeed Khan. Maha Hussain moderated the session.
Bela Raza Jamil moderated a panel featuring Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani, Arshad Saeed Husain, and Shahid Siddiqui. Mohyuddin Wani highlighted the significant overhaul of public education in Islamabad, stating, “A child has to be healthy to perform. Our education framework did not address the population burst and suffered, compromising equity, employability, and excellence across the board.” Arshad Saeed Husain emphasized the need for an updated curriculum, saying, “Education has to be relevant, and we must focus on upskilling to unlearn and relearn.”
Anjum Halai, and Faisal Bari, discussed Anjum’s book on Teaching and Teacher Education in Pakistan. Shahid Siddiqui moderated the panel.
Media Ethics and the Responsibility of Truth opened a hot debate on current role of media in communicating truth. Hamid Mir, Umber Khairi and Kathy Gannon were the esteemed panelists, while Mujahd Barelvi moderated the session. Mutual consensus was on documenting a code of ethics for the media as a permanent resource for standards to uphold.
Discussing Search for Stability in Pakistan, Ahmed Bilal Mehboob highlighted the unfriendly borders and lack of sovereignty of people’s mandate, while Maleeha Lodhi called the evolving situation a ‘poly-crises’ where multiple challenges have converged to become barriers to progress.
Moderated by Salma Malik, the panel included Zahid Hussain as well.
The evening Mushaira, presided over by Zehra Nigah and hosted by Mehboob Zafar, brought together poetic luminaries, including Iftikhar Arif, Kishwar Naheed, Haleem Qureshi, Yasmeen Hameed, Naseer Ahmad Nasir, Tariq Naeem, Imdad Aakash, Akhtar Usman, Harris Khalique, Ahmad Hussain Mujahid, Nusrat Masood, Shakeel Jazib, Akhtar Raza Saleemi, Naheed Qamar, Fakhra Noreen, and Saeed Shariq, delivering verses that resonated with cultural pride and introspection.
The Punjabi Mushaira presided over by Anwar Masood and hosted by Aisha Masood, featured Sarwat Mohiuddin, Anjum Saleemi, Rana Saeed Doshi, Nida Maher, Hassan Abbas Raza, and Riffat Waheed, adding regional flavor to the literary evening.
The sessions were rich with critical discussions. The second day continued to demonstrate the enduring power of literature to challenge, transform, and inspire minds. The event promises more literary celebrations tomorrow. For updates and details, visit the ILF website or follow ILF on social media.
