KARACHI: The Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) is poised to stage its 17th edition from February 6 to 8 at the Beach Luxury Hotel, preserving its long-standing practice of remaining free and accessible to the public.
Presented by Oxford University Press Pakistan, this year’s programme revolves around the theme “Literature in a Fragile World,” an exploration of how fiction, poetry and critical thought respond to periods of social, political and cultural fragility.
“In an increasingly fractured world, literature remains one of the last spaces where dogmas can be questioned, and humanity can speak to itself without fear,” said Arshad Saeed Husain, managing director of OUP Pakistan, describing the festival’s intellectual aim.
The three-day gathering will host over 200 delegates representing eight countries and will offer more than 90 sessions. The schedule also includes 28 book launches in three languages, two documentary screenings and two feature films, making for a diverse and multilayered programme.
Keynote speeches will be given by Senator Sherry Rehman, Mohammed Hanif, Nasir Abbas Nayyar and Khurshid Rizvi. The festival’s roster of participants features writers, poets, academics, critics and cultural thinkers from Pakistan and overseas, with notable names this year including filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy; Professor Richard Susskind CBE KC (Hon); Scottish historian and filmmaker Sam Dalrymple; and novelist Laline Paull.
New elements introduced in this edition include The Great KLF Debate, a Sindhi mushaira and an interschool debate, highlighting the festival’s emphasis on engaging youth, promoting linguistic diversity and fostering civic participation. Literary panels will be complemented by theatrical performances, classical music, theatre productions, rap and qawwali.
The programme also marks special commemorations: a session honouring the 150th birth anniversary of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, which will feature a screening of the film Jinnah introduced by filmmaker Jamil Dehlavi, and a panel discussing the life, thought and ongoing relevance of Allama Iqbal. There is also a session dedicated to the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth.
A dedicated Youth Pavilion will offer storytelling, theatre activities and hands-on workshops tailored to younger audiences.
The festival will draw to a close with the announcement of the 2026 KLF–Getz Pharma Book Prize winners, recognising excellence in English fiction, Urdu prose and poetry.
