Despite all the criticism for being an ‘elite’ show for ‘burger’ families, the Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) organized by the Oxford University Press (OUP) remains a fest for those interested in topics much beyond literature.

The KLF encompasses fields ranging from economy and education to gender and human rights. The 15th KLF was even more significant as it invited a sharp critic of Israeli atrocities – a British citizen of Palestinian origin Selma Dabbagh. She exposed the hypocrisy with which most of the West – including the EU, UK, and US – has been blatantly supporting the Zionist regime; more on her later.

From February 16 to 18, the KLF featured 200 activists, analysts, communicators, development professionals, doctors, educationists, finance wizards, experts from abroad, gender trainers, historians, human resource managers, and of course literacy personalities.

Since 2018, Arshad Saeed Khan has been leading the OUP team, and with Raheela Baqai and Muniza Ali, the KLF has expanded its accomplishments and outreach. This year, in the opening ceremony nobody expected the German and US diplomats to mention the besieged strip under relentless bombardment – and they did not.

But it was a pleasant surprise when the consul general of France talked about human rights violations the world over, especially the killings of thousands of innocent people in recent months.

Keynote speeches by Arif Hasan and Selma Dabbagh stole the show. Arif Hasan is a renowned activist and architect who needs no introduction, thanks to his immense contribution to teaching, planning, and research that he has presented in dozens of books and hundreds of articles and essays.

His keynote at the opening ceremony revolved around the theme of sustainability which he elaborated on in his peculiar style by exposing the exploitative nature of the global economy that the neoliberal narrative has expounded. He reminded the........

© The News International