Karachi Literature Festival (KLF), the first and by far the foremost literature festival in the country, needs no introduction. It has become an integral part of the social and intellectual calendar of this city and, indeed, of the country.
February 6, 2026 5:00 pm
6, 7 and 8 February 2026
17th KLF Speakers
Iftikhar Arif
Mohammed Hanif
Khurshid Rizvi
Zehra Nigah
Sam Dalrymple
Laline Paull
Jeff Koehler
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
17th KLF Programme
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Day 1
Feb 6, 2026
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Day 2
Feb 7, 2026
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Day 3
Feb 8, 2026
- Main Garden
- Jasmine
- Aquarius
- Room 007
Main Garden
Arrival of Guests
4.00 p.m. -
4.30 p.m.
Main Garden
Welcome Speech by the Festival Organizer: Arshad Saeed Husain
Managing Director, Oxford University Press Pakistan
4.30 p.m. -
6.00 p.m.
Main Garden
CHIEF GUEST
H.E. Murad Ali Shah - Chief Minister, Sindh
5.15 p.m. -
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Main Garden
REMARKS by GUESTS OF HONOUR
Lance Domm - British Deputy High Commissioner
5.25p.m. -
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Main Garden
Alexis Chahtahinsky
Consul General France
5.30 p.m. -
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Main Garden
KEYNOTE SPEECHES by Senator Sherry Rehman
Former Federal Minister for Climate Change
5.35 p.m. -
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Main Garden
Nasir Abbas Nayyar
Writer, critic, columnist
5.55 p.m. -
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Main Garden
BOOK AWARDS
KLF-Getz Pharma English Fiction Prize - KLF-Getz Pharma Urdu Prose and Poetry Prize
5.55 p.m. -
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Main Garden
PERFORMANCE
Performance by Nighat Choudhry and Kathak Souls: - Rhythm of Traditions through Poetry and Movement
5.55 p.m. -
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Main Garden
MC
Ayesha Tammy Haq
5.55 p.m. -
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Main Garden
PANEL DISCUSSIONS
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Main Garden
Jinnah’s Vision for a Plural Pakistan
Javed Jabbar in conversation with Ayesha Tammy Haq
7.00 p.m. -
7.45 p.m.
Main Garden
Introduction to JINNAH - The Film
By Jamil Dehlavi
7.45 p.m. -
8.00 p.m.
Jasmine
سندی شاعری
7.00 p.m. -
8.00 p.m.
Sadarat: Madad Ali Sindhi - Nizamat: Naseer Mirza - Adal Soomro, Sahar Imdad Hussaini, Attiya Dawood, Niaz Panhwar, Bakhshan Mehranvi, Saabhiyan Sangi, Sher Mehrani, Amar Pirzado, Shahnawaz Ghoto, Masroor Pirzado, Naseer Soomro
Aquarius
Documentary Screening: W.R.A.P. (We Really are Pakistan): From Screen to Stage followed by Live Performance
By Rappers from Gizri
7.00 p.m. -
8.00 p.m.
Moderator : Saba Karim Khan
Room 007
Book Discussion: Matisse in Morocco: A Journey of Light and Color by Jeff Koehler
Jeff Koehler in conversation with Niilofur Farrukh
7.00 p.m. -
8.00 p.m.
Main Garden
Film Screening: Jinnah
8.00 p.m. -
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- Main Garden
- Jasmine
- Aquarius
- Room 007
- Society Suite
- Tulip Hall
Main Garden
وہ نام بس ایک نقش تھا پانی پہ ہوا کا: جدید بلوچی شاعری کا معمار — عطا شاد
Ishaque Khamosh, Waheed Noor, Mujahid Barelvi
11.00 a.m. -
12.00 noon
Moderator : Zahida Raees Raji
Jasmine
Book Discussion: 32 Onkar Road by Syed Shabbar Zaidi
Syed Shabbar Zaidi, Salim Raza, Syeda Zaidi
11.00 a.m. -
12.00 noon
Moderator : Rashid Masood Alam
Aquarius
Book Launch: Voices of Valour: A Tribute to Christian Defenders of Pakistan by Noel Khokhar
Noel Khokhar and Javed Zia
11.00 a.m. -
12.00 noon
Moderator : Neda Mulji
Room 007
Book Launch: Language, Gender and Power by Shahid Siddiqui
Shahid Siddiqui and Baela Raza Jamil
11.00 a.m. -
12.00 noon
Moderator : Anita M. Weiss
Room 007
Book Launch: Reimagining Education in Pakistan: Contemporary Challenges & Creative Choices by Shahid Siddiqui
Shahid Siddiqui
11.30 a.m. -
12.00 noon
Moderator : Faisal Bari
Society Suite
Poems from the Edge of the World
Ryan J. Davidson in conversation with Ilona Yusuf
11.30 a.m. -
12.00 noon
Tulip Hall
انا بوا کی کہانیاں
With Zara Mumtaz
11.00 a.m. -
12.00 noon
Main Garden
Evolving Power Dynamics in South Asia
Ikram Sehgal in conversation with Huma Baqai
12.15 p.m. -
1.15 p.m.
Jasmine
ہر عہد، عہدِ اقبال
Walid Iqbal, Nasir Abbas Nayyar, Sarwat Mohiuddin
12.15 p.m. -
1.15 p.m.
Moderator : Mujahid Barelvi
Aquarius
Book Launch: Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia by Sam Dalrymple
Sam Dalrymple in conversation with Aliya Iqbal-Naqvi
12.15 p.m. -
1.15 p.m.
Room 007
Telling Her Story: Women in Print, 1960s Onward
Tazeen Hussain, Veera Rustomji, Maniza Naqvi
12.15 p.m. -
1.15 p.m.
Moderator : Madeline Clements and Niilofur Farrukh
Society Suite
Book Launch: Oxford Kay Roz o Shab by Muhammadi Begum
Zehra Ahmad and Zainab Masud
12.15 p.m. -
12.45 p.m.
Moderator : Sheema Kermani
Reading of excerpts by Shama Askari
Society Suite
Book Launch: Nayi Purani Russi Kahaniyan by Dr. Najam Butt
Najamul Sahar Butt and Zarminae Ansari
12.45 p.m. -
1.15 p.m.
Moderator : Hoori Noorani
Tulip Hall
ابھرتے ستارے
Singing the Stories of Our World Performances by selected school children who participated in the Obhartay Sitaray competition.
12.15 p.m. -
1.15 p.m.
Hafsa Abdul Hafeez, Emaan Mahar, Syed Muhammad Kashif, Saman Nafees, Shahmeer Murtaza - MODERATOR: Zara Shaheen Awan
Main Garden
Book Launch: جازو بھائیّا از ثمینہ نذیر
Sameena Nazir in conversation with Wusatullah Khan
1.30 p.m. -
2.00 p.m.
Jasmine
Book Launch: Progressive Laws in Patriarchal Societies: Lessons from Pakistan by Sara Malkani
Sara Malkani and Nazish Brohi
1.30 p.m. -
2.00 p.m.
Moderator : Farieha Aziz
Aquarius
Book Launch:گلِ دوگانا از سید کاشف رضا
Syed Kashif Raza and Nasir Abbas Nayyar
1.30 p.m. -
2.00 p.m.
Moderator : Salman Sarwat
Room 007
Book Launch: A Beautiful Despair - The Art and Life of Meher Afroz edited by Niilofur Farrukh
Niilofur Farrukh in conversation with Aquila Ismail
1.30 p.m. -
2.00 p.m.
Society Suite
Book Launch: Samandar Paar: Aik Guftugu - Soliloquies? On The Sea by Tariq Alexander Qaiser
Tariq Alexander Qaiser and Wajid Jawad
1.30 p.m. -
2.00 p.m.
Moderator : Nasira Zuberi
Tulip Hall
Learn SEO with Abdul Hadi
1.30 p.m. -
2.00 p.m.
Main Garden
Why Institutions Matter? The Story of Meezan Bank
Ishrat Husain, Irfan Siddiqui, Syed Amir Ali, Arif Habib
2.15 p.m. -
3.15 p.m.
Moderator : Sibtain Naqvi
Sponsored by Meezan Bank
Jasmine
Oral History: Embodied Memory and the Construction of Narrative History
Sam Dalrymple in conversation with Framji Minwalla
2.15 p.m. -
3.15 p.m.
Aquarius
دیکھنا تقریر کی لذت: ڈاکٹر عارفہ سیدۃ زہرہ کی یاد میں
Saif Mahmood, Zehra Nigah, Anita M. Weiss, Zarminae Ansari
2.15 p.m. -
3.15 p.m.
Moderator : Kazim Saeed
Room 007
Beyond the Classrooms: The Future of Learning
Faisal Mushtaq, Zeeshan Hasan, Ali Anwerzada, Muneeza Shaikhali
2.15 p.m. -
3.15 p.m.
Moderator : Faisal Bari
Society Suite
Book Launch: Misspelled Constellations: A Poetic Cartography of Karachi by Sorina Zainea
Sorina Zainea in conversation with Peerzada Salman
2.15 p.m. -
2.45 p.m.
Society Suite
Book Launch: The Missing Prayer by Ammar Aziz
Ammar Aziz in conversation with Ilona Yusuf
2.45 p.m. -
3.15 p.m.
Tulip Hall
From Silence to Strength
Empowering a Deaf Child to Thrive in Society-A session by Deaf Reach Institute
2.15 p.m. -
3.15 p.m.
Main Garden
How Stories Change the World?
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy in conversation with Anoushey Ashraf
3.30 p.m. -
4.30 p.m.
Jasmine
کدھر سے آیا، کدھر گیا وہ: بیادِ ناصر کاظمی
Iftikhar Arif, Khurshid Rizvi, Asghar Nadeem Syed, Nasira Zuberi
3.30 p.m. -
4.30 p.m.
Moderator : Mehboob Zafar
Aquarius
Sufi Karachi: Sufi Traditions in our Times
Atiya Khan, Babar N. Sheikh, Sarwat Mohiuddin, Rizwanullah Khan
3.30 p.m. -
4.30 p.m.
Moderator : Mehr F. Husain
Room 007
Poetry in Fragile Times
Urooj Mirza, Moeen Faruqi, Shireen Haroun, Khusro Mumtaz, Harris Khalique, Ayesha Owais, Ayesha Faisal Malik
3.30 p.m. -
4.30 p.m.
Moderator : Ilona Yusuf
Society Suite
Layered Resilience: Honour, Violence & Grassroots Resistance in Pakistan
Anita M. Weiss, Sara Malkani, Farieha Aziz
3.30 p.m. -
4.30 p.m.
Moderator : Nazish Brohi
Tulip Hall
بچپن کے گیت ، عمر بھر کی یادیں
Songs, Stories, and Memories from Sohail Rana's Music for Children with Nazia Zuberi Hassan and Saeed Ahmed
3.30 p.m. -
4.30 p.m.
Main Garden
Fixing the Fundamentals: Pakistan’s Economic Reset
Ishrat Husain, Muhammad Ali, Asad Umar, Miftah Ismail, Zeelaf Munir
4.45 p.m. -
5.45 p.m.
Moderator : Muhammad Azfar Ahsan
Jasmine
زہرہ نگاہ سے گفتگو
Zehra Nigah in conversation with Harris Khalique
4.45 p.m. -
5.45 p.m.
Aquarius
ڈرامہ: روایت یا تبدیلی
Bee Gul, Zanjabeel Asim Shah, Zafar Mairaj, Bakhtawar Mazhar, Nameer Khan
4.45 p.m. -
5.45 p.m.
Moderator : Meesam Naqvi
Room 007
Fiction at the Edge of Nature
Laline Paull in conversation with Christie Marie Lauder
4.45 p.m. -
5.45 p.m.
Society Suite
نعام ندیم کے تراجم: عالمی ادب اردو میں
Saari Kahaniyaan translated by Inaam Nadeem and Ek Tees Saala Aurat by Inaam Nadeem Inaam Nadeem and Nasir Abbas Nayyar
4.45 p.m. -
5.45 p.m.
Moderator : Iqbal Khursheed
Tulip Hall
Where Ideas Come From
A Dialogue for Young Readers with Saman Shamsie and Rumana Husain
4.45 p.m. -
5.45 p.m.
Main Garden
Pakistani Fashion in the Age of Visibility
Ziad Bashir, Rizwan Beyg, Mushk Kaleem, Zahir Rahimtoola, Erica Robin
6.00 p.m. -
7.00 p.m.
Moderator : Maliha Rehman
Jasmine
ستارہ آنکھیں : عبیداللہ علیم
Iftikhar Arif, Ghazi Salahuddin
6.00 p.m. -
7.00 p.m.
Moderator : Peerzada Salman
Aquarius
Book Talk: How To Think About AI: A Guide For The Perplexed by Richard Susskind
Richard Susskind in conversation with Ayesha Tammy Haq
6.00 p.m. -
7.00 p.m.
Room 007
Daring to Dream: From Karachi School Girl to World Bank Judge
Mahnaz Malik in conversation with James Neish
6.00 p.m. -
7.00 p.m.
Society Suite
Book Launch: Coming Back: The Odyssey of a Pakistani Through India by Shueyb Gandapur
Shueyb Gandapur and Mohsin Sayeed
6.00 p.m. -
7.00 p.m.
Moderator : Mehr F. Husain
Tulip Hall
From books to Skills
What Today's Students Really Need by Tarib Ahmed (Robotics)
6.00 p.m. -
7.00 p.m.
Main Garden
Usman Mukhtar in Conversation with Maliha Rehman
Followed by Film Screening Chikkar
Jasmine
مشاعرہ
Sadarat: Iftikhar Arif - Nizamat: Nasira Zuberi
By Kishwar Naheed, Khurshid Rizvi, Shahida Hassan, Mehboob Zafar, Khalid Moin, Syed Kashif Raza, Kashif Hussain Ghyre, Dilawar Ali Aazar, Peerzada Salman, Naina Adil, Abdul Rehman Momin
Sponsored by Dawlance
Aquarius
#YehHaiLyari: فقط ذوقِ پرواز
Muqaddas Abdul Rasheed, Hammad Rana, Ali Akbar Soomro, Mehreen Baloch
7.15 p.m. -
8.15 p.m.
Moderator : Sabeer Ahmed
Room 007
Theatre: An Urdu Adaptation of Thomas Mann's The Transposed Heads
Muhabbat Sar Ta Sar - Written & Directed by Khaled Anam
7.15 p.m. -
8.15 p.m.
Sponsored by Goethe Institute
Society Suite
Cricket Tragics: Four Fans and a World Cup
Rehan Shaikh and Raaheen Mani Moderators: Omar Shahid Hamid and Owais Tohid
- Main Garden
- Jasmine
- Aquarius
- Room 007
- Society Suite
- Tulip Hall
Main Garden
Inter-School Debate:
Literature Today: Elitist or Essential?
11.00 a.m. -
12.00 noon
Jury: Muneeza Shamsie, Salman Tarek Kureshi
Jasmine
Invisible Frontlines: Women and Children’s Health in the Times of Climate Change
Azra Fazal Pechuho, Murad Moosa Khan, Neha Mankani, Muneera Alavi
11.00 a.m. -
12.00 noon
Moderator : Hareem Sumbul Bari
Aquarius
یہ بستی ہے لیاری
Waheed Noor, Asghar Dashti, Shabbir Hussain Baloch, Madiha Shaikh
11.00 a.m. -
12.00 noon
Moderator : Umair Razzaq
Room 007
متن سے آواز: نئی اُردو ایپ کا آغاز
Wajid Jawad and Farhan Ashraf
11.00 a.m. -
12.00 noon
Moderator : Yasmeen Sultana Farooqui
Society Suite
Why Jane Austen still Speaks to Us?
Aisha Hassan, Laline Paull, Faisal Nazir
11.00 a.m. -
12.00 noon
Moderator : Zarmina Raza
Main Garden
کراچی کچہری: عوام اور پولیس
Mazhar Abbas, Sharjil Kharal, and Aquila Ismail
12.15 p.m. -
1.15 p.m.
Moderator : Omar Shahid Hamid
Jasmine
Reimagining Higher Education: Prospects & Challenges
Pervez Hoodbhoy and Farid Panjwani
12.15 p.m. -
1.15 p.m.
Moderator : Faisal Bari
Aquarius
جمِیلہ ہاشمی: شہرِ سخن کی آبرو
Noor ul Huda Shah, Najeeba Arif, Sameena Nazir, Arshad Waheed
12.15 p.m. -
1.15 p.m.
Moderator : Raza Naeem
Room 007
Pakistan: Conversations with History
Shehzad Ghias Shaikh and Gazi Salahuddin in conversation
12.15 p.m. -
1.15 p.m.
Society Suite
Emerging Writers: Shaping Tomorrow’s Expression
Aisha Hassan, Z.D Jabbar, Shueyb Gandapur
12.15 p.m. -
1.15 p.m.
Moderator : Nusrat Khawaja
Tulip Hall
Writing with Art: An Introduction to Calligraphy by
Hifza Asif, Umama Haider, Umamah Rizwan Qalam Kahani
12.15 p.m. -
1.15 p.m.
Main Garden
Book Launch: Intikhab e Kalam: Shanul Haq Haqqee compiled by Rauf Parekh
Rauf Parekh and Shayan Haqqee
1.30 p.m. -
2.00 p.m.
Moderator : Najeeba Arif
Jasmine
Book Launch: Pakistan Cricket Chronicles 1948-2024 by Afzal Ahmed
Afzal Ahmed and Qamar Ahmed
1.30 p.m. -
2.00 p.m.
Moderator : Salman Faridi
Aquarius
Book Launch: ٻيا ڏينھن translated by Nasir Ijaz
Jami Chandio and Arshad Waheed
1.30 p.m. -
2.00 p.m.
Moderator : Inaam Nadeem
Room 007
گھرانہ گائیکی: ماضی، حال اور مستقبل
Aqeel Abbas Jafri and Sharif Awan
1.30 p.m. -
2.00 p.m.
Moderator : Ammar Aziz
Society Suite
Book Launch: چسکہ گلیوں کا (Kaurashi, Kolachi, Kurrachee) by Qamar Bharoocha Bana
Sabiha Imani, Stephan Andrew, Qamar Bharoocha Bana
1.30 p.m. -
2.00 p.m.
Moderator : Samya Kadri Paracha
Main Garden
خط و کتابت
یوسف بشیر قریشی کے ساتھ
2.15 p.m. -
3.15 p.m.
Jasmine
Woman of Substance
Nasreen Jalil in conversation with Mazhar Abbas
2.15 p.m. -
3.15 p.m.
Aquarius
Keeping Education Human in the age of AI
Pervez Hoodbhoy, Farid Panjwani, Fatima Dar, Zeeshan Hasan
2.15 p.m. -
3.15 p.m.
Moderator : Malahat Awan
Room 007
Future Shock: Dystopia in a Dystopian World
Laline Paull, Bina Shah, Ryan J. Davidson
2.15 p.m. -
3.15 p.m.
Moderator : Christie Marie Lauder
Society Suite
Book Launch: Diwan e Ruh Series: The Book of Vardhana Pramukha by Zainab Jabbar
Z.D Jabbar in conversation with Aliya Iqbal-Naqvi
2.15 p.m. -
2.45 p.m.
Society Suite
Book Launch: When the Fireflies Dance: A Novel by Aisha Hassan
Aisha Hassan in conversation with Nusrat Khawaja
2.45 p.m. -
3.15 p.m.
Tulip Hall
Think, Share, Grow: Learning as a Team
By Amna Milton
2.15 p.m. -
3.15 p.m.
Main Garden
Book Launch: Rebel English Academy by Mohammed Hanif
Mohammed Hanif in conversation with Sanam Maher
3.30 p.m. -
4.30 p.m.
Jasmine
Book Launch: عُمر مجھے لکھتی ہے از کشور ناہید
Kishwar Naheed, Syed Jaffar Ahmed, Noorul Huda Shah, Najeeba Arif
3.30 p.m. -
4.30 p.m.
Moderator : Fazil Jamili
Aquarius
Short Film Screening: Screen Locked
Alyy Khan, Khalid Hasan Khan, and Atabik Mohsin
3.30 p.m. -
4.30 p.m.
Moderator : Murad Moosa Khan
Room 007
Improving Student Learning Outcomes through Public–Private Partnerships
Arshad Saeed Husain, Amin A. Hashwani, Salma Alam, Faisal Bari
3.30 p.m. -
4.30 p.m.
Moderator : Baela Raza Jamil
Society Suite
Book Launch: Dream Work of Lisa D by Adrian Husain
Moeen Faruqi, Salman T. Kureshi, Adrian A. Husain
3.30 p.m. -
4.30 p.m.
Moderator : Ayesha Tammy Haq
Tulip Hall
Story by Brothers Grimm, Hansel & Gretel
Dramatised and Directed by Uzma Sabeen, Allrounder Theatre
3.30 p.m. -
4.30 p.m.
Main Garden
Media in the Emerging World Order
Ghazi Salahuddin, Azhar Abbas, Owais Tohid, Nadia Naqi
4.45 p.m. -
5.45 p.m.
Moderator : Amber Rahim Shamsi
Jasmine
Hope, Faith, and the Miracle of Survival
A Talk by Zafar Masud
4.45 p.m. -
5.45 p.m.
Introduction by Sibtain Naqvi and Amin A. Hashwani
Aquarius
کوئی بتلاؤ کہ ہم بتلائیں کیا — از عین ادب
Dramatic Readings by Ali Mazhar and Usman Qureshi
4.45 p.m. -
5.45 p.m.
Room 007
Empowering the Educator: From Teacher Training to Teacher Transformation
Baela Raza Jamil, Anjum Halai, Palwasha Badar Jalalzai
4.45 p.m. -
5.45 p.m.
Moderator : Shahid Siddiqui
Society Suite
Conversations: The Guimet Museum, Paris and The Gulgee Museum, Karachi
Nicolas Engel in conversation with Amin Gulgee
4.45 p.m. -
5.45 p.m.
Tulip Hall
Learn Kathak and Contemporary Dance with Nighat Chaudhry
4.45 p.m. -
5.45 p.m.
Main Garden
پاکستانی ٹی وی ڈرامہ: اداکاری، ہدایتکاری یا کہانی؟
Ahmed Ali Akbar, Saife Hasan, Aina Asif, Zhalay Sarhadi
6.00 p.m. -
7.00 p.m.
Moderator : Raju Jamil
Jasmine
Screening of 2025-26 Banff World Tour
Presented by the High Commission of Canada, Pakistan
6.00 p.m. -
7.00 p.m.
Aquarius
The Great KLF Debate: Will AI take over? Betterment or Detriment
Pervez Hoodbhoy, Faisal Mushtaq,Umar Ahsan Khan, Faiza Yousuf
6.00 p.m. -
7.00 p.m.
Moderator : James Neish
Room 007
Karachi Between the Lines
Muneeza Shamsie, Maniza Naqvi, Zain Saeed
6.00 p.m. -
7.00 p.m.
Moderator : Nusrat Khawaja
Society Suite
Book Launch: Gulgee Museum: The Handbook
Amin Gulgee in conversation with Niilofur Farrukh
6.00 p.m. -
7.00 p.m.
Tulip Hall
Fankar Gali
A Creative and Interactive Theatre Drama Workshop with Atif Badar
6.00 p.m. -
7.00 p.m.
Main Garden
Closing Ceremony
Keynote Speech by: Mohammed Hanif and Khurshid Rizvi
Vote of Thanks by - Daniel Arsenault - Counsellor (Political, Economic & Public Affairs), High Commission of Canada - Vote of Thanks by the Festival Organiser - Arshad Saeed Husain, Managing Director, Oxford University Press Pakistan - Qawwali by Hamza Akram Qawwal & Brothers -
Official Sponsors
SUPPORTED BY OUR VALUED SPONSORS
