Time to break artificial barriers
The second day of the 10th Islamabad Literature Festival (ILF), witnessed on Saturday 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 UmroAyyar: A New Beginning, a cinematic adaptation of classic folklore, which captivated the audience with its fresh and imaginative storytelling.
There were multiple engaging book launches: ‘Tareekh Ki Azeem Feminist Auratein’ by NaeemMirza and KishwarNaheed opened the lineup, with a discussion led by moderator SameenaNazir.
In another compelling launch ‘Another Story of the Bad Woman’ by KishwarNaheed brought together Kathy Gannon, Nadia Tahir, ArshadWaheed, Ilona Yusuf, and SafeerAwan, moderated by AsmaMansoor 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.
Likewise, ShafqatNaghmi’s ‘SaatJanam’ was discussed by ArshadMahmoodNashad and AsgharNadeem Syed and moderated by HameedShahid.
‘MiltayHain August Main’ by InaamNadeem featured a dialogue with HameedShahid. ‘Mere Jinn Nikal Gaye’ by Hamid AteeqSarwar featured insights from Sarwar Sharif Awan, Harris Khalique, and Qurat-ul-AinHaider with Sultan Nasir moderating.
‘Bhadoon’ by MadihaArsalan saw a discussion with IsmaaSa’adat moderated by Sara Ali, while SafdarRasheed’sKahaniaiknazmki exploring T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land, was discussed with Rashid Saleem.
IftikharArif, 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 TarraqiPansandTehreek is responsible for some of the greatest jewels adorning our literary skies.”
MushahidHussainSayed and IkramSehgal on Pakistan Bangladesh Relations – A New Perspective, insisted on addressing 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.”
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.
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 MujahdBarelvi moderated the session. Mutual consensus was on documenting a code of ethics for the media as a permanent resource for standards to uphold.
The evening Mushaira, presided over by ZehraNigah and hosted by MehboobZafar, brought together poetic luminaries, including IftikharArif, KishwarNaheed, HaleemQureshi, YasmeenHameed, Naseer Ahmad Nasir, Tariq Naeem, ImdadAakash, AkhtarUsman, Harris Khalique, Ahmad HussainMujahid, NusratMasood, ShakeelJazib, AkhtarRazaSaleemi, NaheedQamar, Fakhra Noreen, and SaeedShariq, delivering verses that resonated with cultural pride and introspection. The Punjabi Mushaira presided over by Anwar Masood and hosted by Aisha Masood, featured SarwatMohiuddin, AnjumSaleemi, RanaSaeedDoshi, Nida Maher, Hassan Abbas Raza, and RiffatWaheed, adding regional flavor to the literary evening.
