A three-day book fair has been organized at Government College University Faisalabad
Promoting book culture is essential to stop division within the Pakistani nation — Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Rauf-i-Azam
A three-day book fair has been organized at Government College University Faisalabad from December 10 to December 12. Twenty stalls have been set up at the fair by national and international publishers. Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Rauf-i-Azam inaugurated the book fair at Allama Iqbal Library located at the New Campus. A budget of 34 million has been allocated for the purchase of books, through which new and high-quality books will be acquired for various departments of the university.
Addressing the participants of the book fair, the Vice Chancellor said that we are living in an era of the knowledge economy, and all developed nations are closely connected with books. The inclination of youth toward books is a very positive sign. He added that the three-day book fair will not only promote reading habits but will also enable people to buy affordable books and enrich their home libraries.
Publishers attending the fair said that after the government suspended trade with India, the supply of books has also been affected. Importing books from other countries is becoming increasingly expensive. They urged the Government of Pakistan to lift restrictions on book trade to support access to knowledge.
Chief Librarian Tariq Lateef shared his views and said that the book fair features a wide range of books on artificial intelligence, information technology, literature, research, religion, curriculum, history, and many other subjects.
The book fair also provides students an opportunity to purchase academic and non-academic books at low prices, which is a clear reflection of the university administration’s knowledge-friendly policy in these times of inflation. According to participants, organizing book fairs alone is not enough to promote book culture in the country — government-level initiatives are also needed.
The large public turnout at the recent book fair at Government College University Faisalabad has dispelled the notion that the era of books has ended in Pakistani society.
