At Lok Virsa the three-day 11th National Book Festival, held from November 25 to 27, drew attention to the enduring role of books in shaping knowledge and identity. Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Education Minister Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui urged students, teachers and visitors to cultivate regular reading habits and described books as the core of personal and national identity.
Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said that identity and destiny are closely linked and that it is difficult to build identity without the pen and the book. He invoked the religious call to seek knowledge, noting the first Islamic command “Iqra” and calling knowledge the lost heritage of the believer, a sentiment he framed within Pakistan’s founding values.
Parliamentary Secretary Farah Naz Akbar highlighted the relevance of the National Book Festival in a fast digitising world. She acknowledged the benefits of technology, citing tools like ChatGPT, but warned against letting screens replace books. Drawing on her own childhood reading habits, she urged families to balance technology with reading to nurture thoughtful citizens.
Farah Naz Akbar toured book stalls at the festival and expressed confidence that such events will continue to promote a culture of reading. Both speakers emphasized the festival’s role in engaging younger generations and in keeping books central to learning even as digital tools expand access to information.
The National Book Festival at Lok Virsa offered visitors a chance to reconnect with printed works, meet publishers and authors, and reflect on reading as a long-term investment in knowledge, identity and civic life. Organisers said the festival aims to keep the habit of reading alive across schools and communities throughout Pakistan.
