8th Islamabad Literature Festival 2021

#IsbLF

About Islamabad Literature Festival

The Islamabad Literature Festival (ILF) was launched in April 2013 and has been a resounding success right from the start. Inspired by the Karachi Literature Festival (KLF), the Children’s Literature Festival (CLF) was launched at the end of 2011.

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Speakers

Born in Karachi in 1955, he has lived and worked in London since 1970, and spends part of each year in Pakistan. He is the author of several…
Aamer Hussein

Aamer Hussein

An educationist, literary personality, and Urdu language expert. She is the alumna of the Lahore College for Women University; Government College University; and the University of Hawaii, Manoa.…
Arfa Sayeda Zehra

Arfa Sayeda Zehra

Frances Pritchett is a Professor Emerita of Modern Indic Languages, Dept. of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies, Columbia University. Her main research interests have been classical…
Frances Pritchett

Frances Pritchett

An Urdu fiction writer and literary critic from Attock, Punjab. His first writings were published while he was still at school and his first book was published when…
Hameed Shahid

Hameed Shahid

A prominent Urdu poet, scholar, and literary personality. Several collections of Iftikhar Arif’s poetry have been published, including the rendition of his poetry into English, titled ‘Written in…
Iftikhar Arif

Iftikhar Arif

Maleeha Lodhi is Special Adviser for International Affairs to Pakistan’s largest media conglomerate, the Jang/Geo Group. She has twice served as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US (1993–1996; 1999–2002)…
Maleeha Lodhi

Maleeha Lodhi

Marion Molteno is a prize-winning author of four novels, which reflect the unusual range of a life lived across countries and cultures. She grew up in South Africa…
Marion Molteno

Marion Molteno

A former host of ‘Newshour’ on BBC and BBC correspondent in many countries for over thirty years, Owen Bennet-Jones is a freelance British journalist with first-hand knowledge of…
Owen Bennet-Jones

Owen Bennet-Jones

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8th ILF Programme

  • Day 1

    Oct 29, 2021

  • Day 2 CO-SPONSORED BY NBP FUNDS

    Oct 30, 2021

  • Day 3

    Oct 31, 2021

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Inauguration Session

Welcome by Arshad Saeed Husain, Managing Director, Oxford University Press, Pakistan; Speech by: Alia Zafar, Group Head People and Organizational Excellence, The Bank of Punjab; Remarks by: Raymond Castillo, Minister Counselor for Public Affairs, US Mission, Islamabad Mark Crossey, Deputy Country Director, British Council Pakistan; Keynote Speeches by: Hameed Shahid TI, Urdu Fiction Writer and Critic Dr Maleeha Lodhi, Former Ambassador at the UN and the US and UK
4.00 p.m. - 5.00 p.m.
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Parvarish e Loh o Qalam: Urdu Shairi ka Maujooda Manzarnama

Iftikhar Arif, Munir Fayyaz, Muhammad Izhar ul Haq, Yasmeen Hameed
5.30 p.m. - 6.30 p.m.
Moderator : Najeeba Arif
* *

Afghanistan at the Crossroads

Anatol Lieven, Zahid Hussain, Ahmed Rashid
5.30 p.m. - 6.30 p.m.
Moderator : Huma Baqai
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A Personal Chronicle of Pakistan: Preserving History and Heritage

Ikram Sehgal and Owen Bennett-Jones
6.40 p.m. - 7.40 p.m.
Moderator : Moeed Pirzada
* *

Literature: Connecting across Frontiers

Frances Pritchett and Arfa Sayeda Zehra
7.50 p.m. - 8.20 p.m.
Moderator : Zahra Sabri
* *

Reimaging Pakistan with Education Reforms

Amjad Noorani and Tooba Akhtar
10.00 a.m. - 11.00 a.m.
Moderator : Nadeem Hussain
* *

Potohar Mein Adab Ki Soorat e Haal

Akhtar Usman, Shoaib Khaliq, Akhtar Raza Saleemi
11.10 a.m. - 12.10 p.m.
Moderator : Ravish Nadim
* *

Book Launch: Journeys Without a Map: A Writer's Life by Marion Molteno

Marion Molteno and Firoze Manji
11.10 a.m. - 12.10 p.m.
Moderator : Saif Mahmood
* *

Book Discussion: Countering Violent Extremism in Pakistan: Local Actions, Local Voices by Anita M. Weiss

Saba Gul Khattak, Anita Weiss, Khadim Hussain
12.20 p.m. - 1.20 p.m.
Moderator : Yaqoob Khan Bangash
* *

Book Launch: Surkh Salam (Urdu translation)

Anushay Malik and Kamran Asdar Ali
12.20 p.m. - 12.50 p.m.
Moderator : Ali Raza
* *

Book Launch: Dasht e Imkaan (Novel) by Asghar Nadeem Syed

Asghar Nadeem Syed in conversation with Nasir Abbas Nayyar
12.50 p.m. - 1.20 p.m.
* *

Kashmir: Politics and Power-Sharing

Sardar Masood Khan, Nasim Zehra, Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan, Mushaal Hussein Malick
1.30 p.m. - 2.30 p.m.
Moderator : Mujahid Barelvi
* *

Humne Urdu Ke Bahaane Se Saleeqa Seekha

Arfa Sayeda Zehra in conversation with Saif Mahmood
1.30 p.m. - 2.30 p.m.
* *

Crises have no Borders

Ahmed Rashid, Athar Abbas, Hina Rabbani Khar
2.40 p.m. - 3.40 p.m.
Moderator : Amber Rahim Shamsi
* *

پاکستانی زبانوں میں افسانہ نگاری کی روایت

Julien Columeau, Mudassar Bashir, Sarwat Mohiuddin, Syed Majid Shah, Abdullah Jan Abid
2.40 p.m. - 3.40 p.m.
Moderator : Sheeraz Dasti
* *

Pakistan Here and Now: Insights into Society, Culture, Identity and Diaspora (Edited by Harris Khalique and Irfan Ahmed Khan)

Salman Asif and Fatimah Ihsan
3.50 p.m. - 4.20 p.m.
Moderator : Khayyam Mushir
* *

Book Launch: Restless: Instead of an Autobiography by Aamer Hussein

Aamer Hussein in conversation with Safinah Danish Elahi and Shahbano Alvi
3.50 p.m. - 4.20 p.m.
* *

Single National Curriculum: Floor or the Ceiling

Arshad Saeed Husain, A.H. Nayyar, Sohail Bin Aziz, Chaudhary Faisal Mushtaq, and Ayesha Razzaque
4.30 p.m. - 5.30 p.m.
Moderator : Faisal Bari
* * *

South Asia in Emerging Regional Politics

Michael Kugelman, Khalid Banuri, Salman Zaidi
5.40 p.m. - 6.40 p.m.
Moderator : Salma Malik
* *

Voices Echoing: English Language Verse

Wajahat Malik, Maham Khan, Salman T. Kureshi, Risham Amjad, Aurangzaib Khan, Mehvash Amin, Harris Khalique, Mavra Bari, Haseeb Sultan
5.40 p.m. - 6.40 p.m.
Moderator : Ilona Yusuf
* *

Remembering I.A. Rehman: A Powerful Voice

Harris Khalique, Zohra Yusuf, Raza Rumi, Muhammad Ziauddin, Kishwar Naheed
6.50 p.m. - 7.50 p.m.
Moderator : Munizae Jahangir
* * *

The Power of Fiction: Tahmima Anam in conversation with Sabyn Javeri

Introduction by Michael Houlgate
6.50 p.m. - 7.50 p.m.
* *

مشاعرہ‎

Sadarat: Iftikhar Arif; Nizamat: Mehboob Zafar; Tauseef Tabassum, Kishwar Naheed, Ehsan Akbar, Jalil Aali, Yasmeen Hameed, Parveen Tahir, Najeeba Arif , Harris Khalique, Akhtar Usman, Farrukh Yar, Ravish Nadim, Akhtar Raza Saleemi, Shakeel Jazib
8.00 p.m. - -
* *

Cartooning: No Laughing Matter

Ricardo Martinez Ortega, Shaukat Mahmood, Mahnaz Yazdani
10.00 a.m. - 11.00 a.m.
Moderator : Nigar Nazar
* *

Yaad e Raftagaan

Chair: Fateh Muhammad Malik; Asghar Nadeem Syed, Najeeba Arif, Harris Khalique, Hameed Shahid
11.10 a.m. - 12.10 p.m.
Moderator : Humaira Ishfaq
* *

Mapping Pakistani Anglophone Literary Landscape

Muneeza Shamsie, Taha Kehar, Munazza Yaqoob
11.10 a.m. - 12.10 p.m.
Moderator : Aroosa Kanwal
* *

Book Launch: Buri Aurat Ki Doosri Katha by Kishwar Naheed

Kishwar Naheed in conversation with Mujahid Barelvi
12.20 p.m. - 12.50 p.m.
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Book Launch: Dying to Serve, Militarism, Affect and the Politics of Sacrifice in the Pakistan Army by Maria Rashid

Maria Rashid in conversation with Nida Kirmani
12.20 p.m. - 12.50 p.m.
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Book Launch: Bacha Khan: My Life and Struggle translated from the original Pukhto by Imtiaz Ahmad Sahibzada

Imtiaz Ahmad Sahibzada, Rafiullah Kakar, Xenia Rasul Khan
1.00 p.m. - 2.00 p.m.
Moderator : Fasi Zaka
* * *

Changing Landscapes: Climate Conversations in Literature and Society

Ahmad Rafay Alam, Elizabeth-Jane Burnett, Bilal Zahoor
1.00 p.m. - 2.00 p.m.
Moderator : Zaighum Abbas

Sponsored by British Council

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Book Launch: Hairat ka Bagh by Hameed Shahid

Hameed Shahid in conversation with Najeeba Arif
2.10 p.m. - 2.40 p.m.
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Book Launch: Once Upon a Time in Murree by Omar Mukhtar Khan

Omar Mukhtar Khan in conversation with Fasi Zaka
2.40 p.m. - 3.10 p.m.
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Panama, Pandora and Pakistan: Offshore Companies Impact on Pakistan

Vaqar Ahmed, Ashfaq Yousuf Tola, Aliya Hashmi Khan
2.10 p.m. - 3.10 p.m.
Moderator : Rashid Masood Alam
* *

Digital Education: A New Normal

Introduction by Fathima Dada
3.20 p.m. - 4.20 p.m.
Talhah Munir Khan, Nusrat Baquee, Sarah Farooq
Moderator : Daniel Atif
* *

Book Launch: Womansplaining: Navigating Activism, Politics and Modernity in Pakistan Edited by Sherry Rahman

Sherry Rehman in conversation with Nayab Jan
3.20 p.m. - 3.50 p.m.
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Book Launch: Marginalisation, Contestation, and Change in South Asian Cities Edited by Nida Kirmani

Rohit Negi and Kabeer Dawani
3.20 p.m. - 4.20 p.m.
Moderator : Nida Kirmani
* *

Pakistan: Current Challenges and Priorities

Owen Bennett-Jones and Maleeha Lodhi
4.30 p.m. - 5.30 p.m.
Moderator : Arifa Noor
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We the People: What the Constitution says?

Raza Rabbani, Wasim Sajjad, Ahmer Bilal Soofi
5.40 p.m. - 6.40 p.m.
Moderator : Mujahid Barelvi
* * *

Web Series: Future of Digital Entertainment

Beo Zafar, Mehreen Jabbar, Sania Saeed
5.40 p.m. - 6.40 p.m.
Moderator : Khaled Anam
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Closing Ceremony

Keynote speeches by Frances Pritchett, Najeeba Arif and Owen Bennett-Jones; Speech by Title Sponsor: Alia Zafar, Group Head People and Organizational Excellence, The Bank of Punjab; Vote of Thanks by the Festival Organizer: Arshad Saeed Husain, Managing Director, Oxford University Press Pakistan
6.50 p.m. - 7.50 p.m.

Download ILF 2021 Programme

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