Remarks by Ambassador Sohail Mahmood, Director General Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), at the 9th Edition of “Adab Festival Pakistan,”
22 December 2024
Today, the Institute of Strategic Studies is crossing the Rubicon. For an institution focused on such esoteric subjects as international politics, defence and security strategies, and foreign policy, co-hosting an ‘Adab Festival’ sounds nearly heretical. When we first broke the news, we did indeed encounter expressions of disbelief and even bewildered questions as to what ISSI and MoFA have got to do with the literary world. My short answer: Everything!
The vibrant Pakistani literature, both poetry and prose, and in Urdu and English; the remarkable advancements and evolution in the visual arts over the past seven decades; the journey from rich classical music to a near revolution in pop and fusion music; the timeless and inimitable Sufi and folkloric traditions — all represent fascinating aspects of our culture and constitute vital elements of Pakistan’s ‘soft power.’ Something we feel in our bones, but are somehow unable to effectively project worldwide. The ISSI’s new vision seeks, among other things, to shine a brighter light on this creative side of Pakistan in a more systematic manner in active collaboration with our literary institutions and civil society.
And who better to commence this initiative with, than Mrs. Ameena Saiyid? Mrs. Ameena Saiyid has had a phenomenal public career – as a publisher, entrepreneur, woman leader, and a pioneer. She has played a vanguard role in instilling the love of book reading in these challenging times, accentuated by the power and reach of social media and Artificial Intelligence. Her most enduring contribution is the co-founding along with Asif Farrukhi sahib of the Karachi and Islamabad Literary Festivals, a trend that has since griped the entire country and generated literary activity and discourse of an entirely different order. Now, as the Managing Director of Lightstone Publishers and co-founder of Adab Festival, she is pursuing these passions of her life with even greater vigour and zest.
Since its inception, the Adab Festival has been a space for intellectual exchange, a celebration of literary voices, and a platform for the exploration of diverse ideas. Over the years, it has become one of the most anticipated literary events, where authors, poets, and readers converge to reflect, discuss, and share in the power of words. This year, the Festival promises to be even more special, with cultural performances and a carefully curated lineup of book talks, discussions, and literary dialogues that will delve into a wide range of socio-political, cultural and geopolitical themes.
We will have conversations on a range of subjects from Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s vision for Pakistan to dialogue with history to women empowerment, and from reimagining education to Pakistan and the changing global scenario. The idea, again, is to help establish a connection between the writers and the readers and generate new and creative ideas on addressing some of the critical questions of our times. And we are privileged to have some of the country’s celebrated intellectuals and writers forming part of the various panels.
Literary festivals are also an important avenue for new and aspiring writers to directly interact with established and seasoned authors and learn new techniques in the art of writing. Equally, there is an opportunity for the new writers to establish connections with publishing houses, which in turn can help them advance their professional careers. We hope that this edition of Adab Festival will be beneficial for our new and upcoming writers from this perspective as well.
Last, but not the least, we at the ISSI are committed to meaningfully engaging the youth, recognising them as vital stakeholder in the research and policy process. The presence of many University students here testifies to their interest in the literary, cultural and intellectual discourse in Pakistan. We hope they will find it to be a fulfilling experience.
Before concluding, I would like to extend my most sincere thanks to all the authors, speakers, and panelists for their participation. Their contributions will make this event truly exceptional.
I would also like to thank our respective teams at ISSI and Lightstone Publishers for their close coordination and hard work in putting it all together. Without their dedicated efforts, this would not have been possible.
Once again, welcome to the 9th Adab Festival. I hope the participants will find the discourse thought-provoking, inspiring, and full of new insights. So enjoy and imbibe, as much as you can!
Thank you.
