Citizen-run free Kitab Ghar rekindles fading library culture in Pakistan’s Karachi

The collage of images created on November 7, 2024, shows (left) the signboard of the citizen-run free Kitab Ghar and (right) a book club meeting at Kitab Ghar in Karachi on October 21, 2024. (AN photo and Areeba Fatima)
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Updated 07 November 2024
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Citizen-run free Kitab Ghar rekindles fading library culture in Pakistan’s Karachi

  • Facility that opened last month is sister concern of Kitab Ghar Lahore, launched in 2021
  • In coming weeks, library has organized events on a range of topics from politics to art

KARACHI: In a quiet, old bungalow near the Sindhi Muslim Food Street and the famed Zahid Nihari restaurant on Tariq Road, a new space in Karachi offers a rare kind of nourishment: a feast for the mind. 

Launched last month, the citizen-run free Kitab Ghar Karachi is more than just a library but aims to inspire people, especially young curious minds to read, think critically, and engage in intellectual conversations, cultivating creativity and renewing the exchange of ideas in a country where such spaces are quietly disappearing.

Kitab Ghar seeks to revive a library culture that was vibrant until the 1990s, when book houses in places like Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad drew students, writers and literary enthusiasts, particularly during the dynamic literary decades of the 1970s and 1980s.

Before the digital era, libraries were among the few trusted sources for books, research and periodicals but the spread of online resources and the Pakistani state’s limited prioritization of these intellectual sanctuaries have gradually led to a decline.

“We want people to come to the library and start that [reading] culture again in Pakistan,” Areeba Fatima, one of the co-founders of the free library, told Arab News.




Co-founder of Kitab Ghar, Areeba Fatima (center), poses for a picture with her colleagues at the library in Karachi, Pakistan, on October 19, 2024 (Areeba Fatima)

Beyond providing a serene reading environment, she said, Kitab Ghar Karachi wanted to cultivate a community of thinkers and doers by hosting regular events and discussions on a range of topics, from politics to art.

“We want to foster, nourish and develop communities of people who being at a public library enjoy interacting,” Fatima added. 

Karachi’s Kitab Ghar is the sister library of one in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore, launched in 2021, and the brainchild of Fatima’s friend Zara Suhail Mannan, who completed four years of education at Yale University and came back with the concept of combining reading with community development.




The picture taken on November 4, 2024, shows a board reading "By The People, For the People" at the gate of Kitab Ghar in Karachi, Pakistan. (AN photo)

“She thought that we were going to set up a public library and community space together, which made a lot of sense to me,” Fatima, who was then a student at Lahore University of Management Sciences, recalled.

With the help of a third friend, Airas Qadir, Mannan and Fatima started collaborating with civil society organizations, and finally Mannan rented a space for Kitab Ghar in Lahore, where readers come to read books and where regular events are held. That model is now being replicated in the southern port city of Karachi, where the library was launched on Oct. 19.

“When we all found ourselves in Karachi, we decided to open Kitab Ghar Karachi,” said Fatima. 

Like the Lahore space, the library in Karachi is also funded by patrons who each donate between $18 and $90 per month.

Muazzam Ali Tahir, a patron, and regular visitor who recently moved from Islamabad to Karachi for work, said he was looking for a place where he could both read and work.

“When I was studying abroad, libraries were like a key place where people could go,” he said. “People could also hang out, work and collaborate with each other.” 




Muazzam Ali Tahir is reading a book at Kitab Ghar Library in Karachi, Pakistan, on November 4, 2024 (AN photo)

Javeria Naeem, 20, who runs a fashion business, is also a regular visitor.

“I’ve always loved Kitab Ghar Lahore, so I was thrilled about its Karachi chapter,” she said, adding that other libraries she visited often lacked a “sense of community.”

“It’s not an isolated, boring place with just books like most libraries,” she added. “It’s lively and makes you feel great.”




The picure taken on November 4, 2024, shows a map in the library in Karachi, Pakistan. (AN photo)

Syed Abdur Raffay Shah, 19, an artist and designer, said he was a regular visitor of the place, describing Kitab Ghar as a “unique experience.”

“I used to spend over 12 hours in libraries just studying and relaxing, but this one stands out with its welcoming atmosphere,” he said. “It has a special communal feel, as if everyone here is contributing to restoring Pakistan’s educational landscape.”

The library has several events planned in the coming weeks.

“We can generate a conversation on blasphemy or feminism or other topics which are very significant, so that is what we are trying to do,” Fatima, the co-founder, said, adding that the “mission” that began in Lahore would continue beyond Karachi.

“We will make more Kitab Ghar libraries in different cities of the country as we aim to create a Pakistan where people read, think and discuss, where people are politically mature and where they matter the most.” 


Pakistan plans virtual assets regulator as crypto council convenes next week

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Pakistan plans virtual assets regulator as crypto council convenes next week

  • Pakistan says it aims to shape a future-ready financial infrastructure while ensuring stability and compliance
  • The country has announced this month to allocate 2,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity to power bitcoin mining

KARACHI: Pakistan plans to establish a regulatory body to oversee digital assets, with the proposal set to be discussed at a meeting of the Pakistan Crypto Council next week, the finance minister said on Friday.

The move marks a significant shift for the South Asian nation, which had previously banned cryptocurrency transactions in 2018, citing financial risks and lack of regulation.

The Pakistan Crypto Council, set up in March, was formed to guide policy on blockchain, digital currencies and attract crypto-related investment as the government reconsiders its approach to digital finance.

“The Pakistan Crypto Council will convene a high-level meeting on Monday, 2nd June 2025, to be chaired by Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue,” the ministry said in an official statement.

“Key items on the agenda include the development of a robust regulatory framework to govern digital and virtual assets in Pakistan, in alignment with global standards and technological advancements,” it continued. “A focal point of discussion will be the groundwork for the establishment of the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) — a proposed autonomous body to oversee the digital finance and crypto ecosystem in the country.”

Earlier this month, Pakistan announced the allocation of 2,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity in the first phase of a national initiative to power bitcoin mining and artificial intelligence (AI) data centers.

Additionally, Bilal Bin Saqib, CEO of the Pakistan Crypto Council, unveiled the country’s first government-led strategic bitcoin reserve at the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas.

The upcoming council meeting aims to lay down the foundation for a secure, transparent and innovation-friendly regulatory environment.

The finance ministry said the upcoming meeting would reflect the government’s commitment to shaping a future-ready financial infrastructure while ensuring stability and compliance in the emerging digital economy.


Pakistan’s deputy PM says Islamabad to appoint envoy to Kabul, signaling thaw in ties

Updated 30 May 2025
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Pakistan’s deputy PM says Islamabad to appoint envoy to Kabul, signaling thaw in ties

  • Announcement comes days after trilateral talks in China where both countries agreed to upgrade relations
  • It remains unclear who will be Pakistan’s new envoy to Afghanistan and when the appointment will take effect

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday Islamabad would upgrade diplomatic relations with neighboring Afghanistan by appointing an ambassador in Kabul in a bid to deepen engagement between the two neighboring countries.

The move comes amid long-running tensions, with Pakistan repeatedly accusing the Afghan Taliban administration of “facilitating” cross-border attacks by militant groups such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).

Kabul has denied the allegations, insisting Pakistan’s security challenges are its internal issue. Relations have further deteriorated in recent years after Islamabad launched a nationwide deportation drive targeting undocumented foreigners, the majority of whom are Afghan nationals. Pakistani authorities also maintained that some of them were linked to a spate of militant attacks in the country including suicide bombings.

Despite the strains, both countries have sought to improve ties in recent months. Dar led a delegation to Kabul in April and later participated in trilateral talks involving Chinese and Afghan foreign ministers in Beijing earlier this month.

“Pakistan-Afghanistan relations are on [a] positive trajectory after my very productive visit to Kabul with Pakistan delegation on 19th April 2025,” he said in a post on social media platform X. “To maintain this momentum, I am pleased to announce the decision of the Government of Pakistan to upgrade the level of its Chargé d’Affaires in Kabul to the level of Ambassador.”

“I am confident this step would further contribute towards enhanced engagement, deepen Pak-Afghan cooperation in economic, security, CT [counterterrorism] & trade areas and promote further exchanges between two fraternal countries,” he added.

 

The announcement comes after the recent trilateral meeting in Beijing, where Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said both Pakistan and Afghanistan had “clearly expressed” a willingness to elevate diplomatic ties, according to an official statement.

At the same meeting, the three countries also agreed to expand cooperation under China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), including the extension of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan.

The BRI — China’s multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure plan — aims to build land and maritime trade routes linking Asia with Africa and Europe. CPEC, considered the flagship of the initiative, includes over $60 billion in Chinese investments in Pakistan’s energy, transport, and industrial sectors.

It remains unclear who will be Pakistan’s new envoy to Kabul or when the appointment will take effect.
 


Pakistan criminalizes child marriages in Islamabad despite opposition from Council of Islamic Ideology

Updated 24 min 44 sec ago
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Pakistan criminalizes child marriages in Islamabad despite opposition from Council of Islamic Ideology

  • Under the new law, the minimum age for marriage is set at 18 for both men and women in the federal capital
  • Prison terms of up to seven years have been introduced for those who facilitate or coerce children into early marriages

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday signed into law a bill criminalizing child marriages in the federal capital of Islamabad, despite opposition from a constitutional body that advises the Pakistani government on the compatibility of laws with Islam.

The law criminalizes underage marriages and introduces strict penalties of up to seven years in prison for family members, clerics and marriage registrars who facilitate or coerce children into early marriages. Any sexual relations within a marriage involving a minor, regardless of consent, will be considered statutory rape, according to the law. An adult man who marries a girl under the legal age could face up to three years in prison.

Pakistan’s National Assembly had unanimously passed the Islamabad Capital Territory Child Marriage Restraint Bill tabled by Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Sharmila Faruqui on May 16. Under the new law, the minimum legal age for marriage for both men and women in Islamabad is 18. Previously, it was 16 for girls and 18 for boys.

However, the Council of Islamic Ideology this week declared the said bill “un-Islamic,” saying that clauses of the bill, such as fixing the age limit for marriage and declaring marriage below the age of 18 as child abuse and punishable, did not conform with Islamic injunctions.

“The Islamabad Capital Territory Child Marriage Restraint Bill, 2025 is assented to, as passed by the Parliament,” President Zardari was quoted as saying in a notification issued from his office.

In Pakistan, 29 percent of girls are married by the age of 18 and 4 percent marry before the age of 15, according to Girls Not Brides, a global coalition working to end child marriage. In comparison, five percent of boys marry before 18.

PPP Senator Sherry Rehman thanked the president for signing the bill into law “despite all pressure.”

“Proud moment for Pakistan,” she said on X. “Thank you to all the women and men who made this possible after a long journey of twists and turns.”

 

 

Pakistan ranks among the top 10 countries globally with the highest absolute number of women who were married or in a union before turning 18.

Girls who marry young are less likely to complete their education and are more vulnerable to domestic violence, abuse and serious health complications.

Pregnancy poses significantly higher risks for child brides, increasing the chances of obstetric fistulas, sexually transmitted infections and even maternal death. Teenagers are far more likely to die from childbirth-related complications than women in their twenties.


Pakistan, India close to completing border troop reduction, senior Pakistani general says

Updated 30 May 2025
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Pakistan, India close to completing border troop reduction, senior Pakistani general says

  • Both nations attacked military installations in their mainlands this month before the US brokered a ceasefire on May 10
  • General Sahir Shamshad Mirza says latest conflict has lowered the ‘threshold,’ won’t be restricted to disputed Kashmir

SINGAPORE: Pakistan and India are close to reducing the troop build up along their border to levels before conflict erupted between the nuclear-armed neighbors this month, a top Pakistani military official told Reuters on Friday, although he warned the crisis had increased the risk of escalation in the future.

Both sides used fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery in four days of clashes, their worst fighting in decades, before a ceasefire was announced.

The spark for the latest fighting between the old enemies was an April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people, most of them tourists. New Delhi blamed the incident on “terrorists” backed by Pakistan, a charge denied by Islamabad.

On May 7, India launched missiles at what it said were “terrorist infrastructure” sites across the border and as Pakistan responded with its own attacks, both countries built up additional forces along the frontier.

General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Pakistan’s chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said the two militaries had started the process of drawing down troop levels.

“We have almost come back to the pre-22nd April situation... we are approaching that, or we must have approached that by now,” said Mirza, the most senior Pakistani military official to speak publicly since the conflict.

India’s ministry of defense and the office of the Indian chief of defense staff did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment on the remarks by Mirza.

Mirza, who is in Singapore to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue forum, said while there was no move toward nuclear weapons during this conflict, it was a dangerous situation.

“Nothing happened this time,” he said. “But you can’t rule out any strategic miscalculation at any time, because when the crisis is on, the responses are different.”

He also said the risk of escalation in the future had increased since the fighting this time was not limited to the disputed territory of Kashmir, the scenic region in the Himalayas that both nations rule in part but claim in full. The two sides attacked military installations in their mainlands but neither has acknowledged any serious damage.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned Pakistan this month that New Delhi would target “terrorist hideouts” across the border again if there were new attacks on India.

‘DANGEROUS TREND’

The two countries have fought three major wars, two of them over Kashmir, and numerous armed skirmishes since both were born out of British colonial India in 1947.

New Delhi blames Pakistan for an insurgency in India-administered part of Kashmir that began in 1989 and has killed tens of thousands. Pakistan says it provides only moral, political and diplomatic support to Kashmiris seeking self-determination.

“This (conflict) lowers the threshold between two countries who are contiguous nuclear powers...in the future, it will not be restricted to the disputed territory. It would come down to (the) whole of India and (the) whole of Pakistan,” Mirza said. “This is a very dangerous trend.”

Reuters has reported that the rapid escalation of hostilities ended in part because of behind-the-scenes diplomacy involving the US, India and Pakistan, and the key role played by Washington in brokering peace. India has denied any third-party role in the ceasefire and said that any engagement between India and Pakistan has to be bilateral.

But Mirza warned that international mediation might be difficult in the future because of a lack of crisis management mechanisms between the countries.

“The time window for the international community to intervene would now be very less, and I would say that damage and destruction may take place even before that time window is exploited by the international community,” he said.

Pakistan was open to dialogue, he added, but beyond a crisis hotline between the directors general of military operations and some hotlines at the tactical level on the border, there was no other communication between the two countries.

India’s foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday “talks and terror don’t go together” in response to a question on the possibility of dialogue with Pakistan.

Mirza said there were no backchannel discussions, or informal talks, to ease tensions. He also said he had no plans to meet General Anil Chauhan, India’s chief of defense staff, who is also in Singapore for the Shangri-La forum.

“These issues can only be resolved by dialogue and consultations, on the table. They cannot be resolved on the battlefield,” Mirza said.


Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, Muhammad Yasir in Asian Athletics Championships javelin finals

Updated 30 May 2025
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Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, Muhammad Yasir in Asian Athletics Championships javelin finals

  • Olympic gold medalist Nadeem and compatriot Yasir qualified with impressive throws of 86.34m and 76.07m respectively
  • Nadeem made history at 2024 Paris Olympics by winning Pakistan’s first athletics gold with a record throw of 92.97m

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Olympic medalist Arshad Nadeem and compatriot javelin thrower Muhammad Yasir have qualified for the finals of the 26th Asian Athletics Championships in South Korea.

The championship, running from May 27 till May 31, is featuring over 2,000 athletes from 43 countries, who are competing across 45 track and field events at the Gumi Civic Stadium.

Nadeem advanced to the final with a powerful throw of 86.34 meters on his first and only attempt in the A qualification round, while Yasir secured his spot in the final with a 76.07-meter throw in the B qualification round.

“Alhamdulillah, qualified this morning for the final competition tomorrow afternoon at 1:10pm Pakistan time at the Asian Championships,” Nadeem said on X.

“As always I would need your support and prayers.”

Nadeem tops the 21-member field. He is followed by Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage with a throw of 83.71 meters and Japan’s Yuta Sakiyama with a throw of 81.36 meters.

Yasir entered the final ranked 9th.

Nadeem made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics by winning Pakistan’s first-ever athletics gold with a record-breaking javelin throw of 92.97 meters. His throw not only set a new Olympic and Asian record but also ended Pakistan’s 32-year Olympic medal drought.

He has since become a national hero, inspiring millions with his journey from humble beginnings in smalltown Mian Channu to the top of the Olympic podium.