KARACHI: The intellectual discussions, exchange of ideas, talks, book launches, dramatics and arts comprising two-and-ahalf days of the 14th Karachi Literature Festival organised by the Oxford University Press at the Beach Luxury Hotel concluded here on Sunday evening.

Just like Friday and Saturday`s engaging and thought-provoking discussions, the concluding day`s sessions also generated a lot of interest and heated debates, like it happened during the session on `Pakistan`s Economy: Depthand Resilience` moderated by Samiullah Siddiqui where Miftah Ismail, Akbar Zaidi, Azfar Ahsan and Mohammed Aurangzeb divulged on the challenges and opportunities in Pakistan`s economy and the potential of sectors such as agriculture, industry, and services in driving economic growth and pulling the country out of its current predicaments.

The questions and answers session at the end then had to be wrapped up quickly when Miftah Ismail misunderstood a question where someone mentioned BMW cars.

Another distinguished panel session on `Faith and Intellect` moderated by senior journalist Ghazi Salahuddin and having Kaiser Bengali, Syed Salim Raza and Shabbar Zaidi on the panel brought about a riveting discussion about faith and thereason as well as the role of intellectin religious practices.

The pressing topic of climate changeanditsimpactonPakistan was also given the attention it deserved with a session on `Climate Justice and Embedded Injustices`, moderated by Maha Husain, with Ahmad Shabbar, Zoha Tunio, and Afia Salam on the panel looking into the disproportionate impact of climate change on vulnerable communities while sounding the alarm bells to take action to address the looming crisis.

The session on `Cricket in Pakistan: Nation, Identity and Politics`, moderated by Nadeem Farooq Paracha, had the legendary cricketer Wasim Akram and lovers of the game Ali Khan, Ahmer Naqvi and Hadeel Obaid looking at the intertwined relationship between cricket, Pakistan`s nationalidentity and its political landscape. The session also included the launch of two books, one Sultan by Wasim Al
Another book that was launchedatKLFonSundaywas Imrana Maqsood`s Doosri Mulaqat. She was on the big stage in the Main Garden with her famous writer husband Anwar Maqsood and Ahmed Shah of the Arts Council to promote her new boolc. While Imrana spilled the beans of their marriage, saying that they even have separate bedrooms on different floors in their house, while not even trying very hard to do it, Anwar Maqsood stole the show the moment he opened his mouth.

Announcing that he has stopped telling lies he then went on to reveal some painful truths about the country and its leaders if one could catch his drift.

Another highlight of the day was the session on `From Silver Screen to Mini Screen: Goldmine of OTT Media` moderated by Safinah Danish Elahi and featuring Faseeh Bari Khan and Sanam Saeed as the panellists. They spoke about how digital streaming platforms especially over-the-top or OTT platforms have expanded the possibilities for content creators by providing more creative freedom and a wider audience reach.

The session about `Saints, Sufis and Shrines: The Mystical Landscape of Sindh` also drew special attention from the audience as it explored the rich history and significance of Sufism and its impact on the culture and society of Sindh.

The festival finale included two keynote addresses by the Booker Prize winner SriLankan author Shehan Karunatilaka and journalist and author Ahmed Rashid.

While Karunatilaka spoke about getting to know the people and cultures of other countries, particularly South Asian countries, through their authors and literature, Rashid was short, sweet and precise as he minced no words in spelling out the ills in Pakistan, the playing of double games here that only come back to haunt Pakistanis themselves.

Arshad Saeed Husain,managing director of OUP, and Mohammed Aurangzeb, the president and CEO of Habib Bank Limited, the event`s main sponsors gave the vote of thanl(s. Both lauded the resilience of the people of Karachi for actively participating in the festival despite all problems.

Finally, the music band Noori`s electrifying performance with Ali Hamza and Ali Noor, performing their hit music, left the crowd refreshed and asking for more.