The three-day occasion will discover the theme ‘Literature in a Fragile World’ with literary figures from eight nations
The Karachi Literature Pageant (KLF) is ready to return for its seventeenth version from February 6 to eight on the Seashore Luxurious Lodge, persevering with its custom of remaining free and open to the general public.
Organised by Oxford College Press Pakistan, this yr’s competition is centred on the theme Literature in a Fragile World, reflecting on how literature, poetry, and significant inquiry reply to moments of social, political, and cultural instability.
“In an more and more fractured world, literature stays one of many final areas the place dogmas may be questioned, and humanity can converse to itself with out concern,” mentioned OUP Pakistan Managing Director Arshad Saeed Husain, outlining the competition’s broader mental imaginative and prescient.
The three-day occasion will characteristic greater than 200 delegates from eight nations and embody over 90 classes. The programme additionally includes 28 e book launches throughout three languages, alongside two documentary screenings and two characteristic movies.
Keynote addresses will likely be delivered by Senator Sherry Rehman, Mohammed Hanif, Nasir Abbas Nayyar, and Khurshid Rizvi. They are going to be joined by a lineup of writers, poets, students, critics, and cultural thinkers from Pakistan and overseas. Among the many notable members this yr are filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Professor Richard Susskind CBE KC (Hon), Scottish historian and filmmaker Sam Dalrymple and novelist Laline Paull.
A number of new initiatives have been launched for this version, together with The Nice KLF Debate, a Sindhi Mushairo, and an interschool debate, underscoring the competition’s give attention to youth participation, linguistic inclusivity, and civic engagement. Literary discussions will likely be interwoven with dramatic performances, classical music, theatre, rap, and qawwali.
The programme additionally contains a particular session marking the one hundred and fiftieth delivery anniversary of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, which features a screening of Jinnah, launched by filmmaker Jamil Dehlavi, in addition to a panel dialogue on the life, thought, and enduring relevance of Allama Iqbal. Moreover, a session commemorating the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s delivery is a part of this yr’s lineup.
A devoted Youth Pavilion will host storytelling classes, theatre actions, and interactive workshops for youthful audiences.
The competition will conclude with the announcement of the 2026 KLF–Getz Pharma Ebook Prize winners, honouring excellent contributions in English fiction, Urdu prose, and poetry.
