The Fifth Adab Festival Pakistan unfolded its literary wonders and intellectual discussions on its second and final day at Habitt City, leaving the hordes of attendees of the festival enriched with knowledge, awed, challenged, and with a heightened sense of cultural awareness. Adab Festival provided a platform for countless literary activities including book launches, enlightening discussion sessions, and performing arts-related events, and something new and innovative – an open mic session in which the audience could speak from their hearts, read anything they had written or say what was on their minds. A true opportunity of free expression.
The day kicked off with a compelling interview of Ambassador and Additional Foreign Secretary, Mumtaz Baloch by Sarmad Ali. This was followed by a discussion on The Reality of Artificial Intelligence with Syed Irfan Hyder, Rabeel Waraich and Bina Shah, with Umer Khan as moderator.
Teachers and performers Atif Badar and Yasmin Motasim led the captivating performance Adab ki Dastak showcasing the art of dramatic readings and Dastan Goi. In a thought-provoking dialogue, speakers Kishwar Naheed, Afzal Syed, and Iftikhar Arif, led by Zehra Nigah and moderated by Shoaib Arshad, explored the importance of Mushaira in Pakistan. The conversation aimed to understand if Mushairas were just an enjoyable activity or if they contribute meaningfully to intellectual and academic discussions in our society.”Another session focused on social media vs traditional media with speakers Shahab Rizvi, Sarmad Ali and Bilal Ahmad Memon. Kishwar Naheed’s latest book Tar Tar Pairahan with speakers Noor-ul-Huda, Kishwar Naheed and Syed Jaffar Ahmed celebrated the legendary poet with captivating recitals by Kishwar Naheed herself. In a session on the bestselling book ‘Lost to the World: A Memoir of Faith, Family, and Five Years in Captivity,’ by Shahbaz Taseer he shared his nail-biting experiences in captivity with Razi Ahmed, Framji Minwalla and Omayr Aziz Saiyid. Exploring the intersectionality of storytelling, media, and the mental health of society, speakers Dr Ayesha Mian and Ziad Zafar engaged in a meaningful discussion moderated by Aliya Iqbal-Naqvi.Engaging discussions on literature, education, and society included sessions like on Syed Kaleem Imam’s book, ‘In Pursuit of an Ethical State: Reflections of a Police Chief,’ with the author in conversation with Ghazi Salahuddin. The third book discussion of the day was on Ishrat Hussain’s latest book, ‘Development Pathways: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh 1947-2022.’ The discussion featured Ishrat Hussain, Muhamad Azfar Ahsan, and Salimullah with Ehsan Malik as moderator. Another session covered the works of the renowned poet Tanveer Anjum in conversation with Nasira Zuberi and Syed Kashif Raza. The session included heartfelt recitals by Anjum of her poems. A session on the book Face to Face with Benazir by Zahid Hussain had Sherry Rahman, Raza Rabbani, Ghazi Salahuddin, and the author discussing Benazir’s life and legacy. The final spotlight was on the autobiography “My Life & Times: Abdul Samad Khan Achakzai translated from Pashto by his son, Muhammad Khan Achakzai, former Governor of Balochistan.
