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The 12th Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) is starts today (Friday) and for the first time, people across the world will be able to attend from the comforts of their homes. This year, the KLF is to be a digital edition due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The KLF is being held on March 26, 27 and 28. The theme for the festival this year is ‘Imagining New Frontiers’ with the aim of ‘bringing together international and Pakistani writers to promote reading and showcase writing at its best.’

The official KLF website has published the programme schedule here and it features a host of Pakistani and international writers, intellectuals and artists. The event will feature debates, an Urdu mushaira, book launches and more.

You can watch all the KLF live sessions on its YouTube and Facebook pages.

The KLF is the first literature festival to have been held in Pakistan and was started in 2010. In 2020, the KLF hosted more than 220,000 people over two and a half days.

The festival this year promises to be an insightful experience. We’re ready to browse through the programme, find our favourite KLF sessions and watch them live on YouTube or Facebook. Our eyes are particularly on the session ‘Bhooli Bisri Yadein’ with feminist Urdu poet Kishwar Naheed. There is also the ‘Karachi: Laughter in Chaos’ session featuring actors Hina Dilpazeer, Khaled Anam alongside stand-up comedians Shehzad Ghias Shaikh and Ali Gul Pir that has caught our eye.