The two-day 4th edition of Adab Festival was held at Frere Hall in Karachi. Attended by a large number of people from all walks of life, the theme of the Adab Festival, 2022, was ‘Climate Crisis,’ considering the disastrous situation Pakistan is currently facing in terms of massive flooding and natural calamities. About 100 speakers, notable celebrities, artistes and performers participated in the two-day event. Many new books were also launched on the occasion.
Aimed at promoting national and international literature and cultural activities across the country, the 4th edition of the Adab Festival featured interviews of famous personalities, book launches, drama and film screenings, comedy shows, music and dance performances, workshops, art and children’s programmes, coupled with a grand book fair.
In her welcome address, Ameena Saiyid, who is the founder and director of the Abad Festival, spoke about the significance of holding literary festivals and their positive impact on making an enlightened society. Shedding some light on the main objectives of the festival, she said that the key objectives was to provide a platform to emerging talent as well as honour and celebrate the world-class authors and artistes.
On the first day of the festival, the chief guest Sherry Rehman, Federal Minister for Climate Change, Dr Maqsood Ahmed, DIG Security and Emergency Services Division, and other renowned personalities attended and spoke at the first session of the festival. The second day of the festival opened with a session for students on building innovation and capacity in the creative sectors by Dr Samina Zahir.
Speakers, during the day, included Aitzaz Ahsan, Javed Jabbar, Zehra Nigah, Sultana Siddiqui, Arfa Syeda Zehra, Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Masood Lohar, Iftikhar Arif, Kishwar Naheed, Masood Lohar, and Dr. Ishrat Husain. Many interactive sessions were held throughout the day, including a talk between Amna R Ali and Aysha Baqir on Aysha’s novel ‘Beyond the Fields’ and another discussion took place between the novelist Irshad Abdul Kadir and a veteran journalist Maheen Usmani on Irshad’s novel ‘The Lady of Sohanbela.’ The last three items were performances by Kaifi Khalil and Laal band, a kathak dance by Shayma Saiyid and a tribute to Nayyara Noor by Rosemary Mushtaq.
Founded by Ameena Saiyid and the late Asif Farrukhi, the Adab Festival is held every year with the sponsorship of Habib University Karachi and British Council Pakistan. 
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