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For book lovers it was the time to be jovial and for Karachiites, it was a much needed respite from the troubled times the country is going through. It was time for the biggest and most popular book fair in Pakistan, the 5th Karachi International Book Fair (KIBF) 2009. Organised by the Pakistan Publishers and Booksellers Association (PPBA), in collaboration with the National Book Foundation. The Federal Minister for Education, Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani, inaugurated the 5th Karachi International Book Fair (KIBF) 2009 held last month at the Karachi Expo Centre. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Mr Bijarani urged the foreign publishers to maintain a close liaison with their Pakistani counterparts in holding fairs and fostering knowledge through such events.         Convener, KIBF Organising Committee, Iqbal Saleh Mohammad and PPBA Chairman, Aziz Khalid, sharing their thoughts about the fair, said that the PPBA’s ambition is to enhance the quality of education and increase the literacy rate. “Our aim is to not only promote reading habits, but more importantly, initiate our national resurgence in the realms of knowledge, education and intellect.”         The five-day international event held from 10th December to 14th December had attracted internationally reputed publishers from many countries, including the US, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Malaysia, Germany, India and Britain. The fair displayed a large number of books in English, Urdu, Persian, Arabic and regional languages, in stalls set up by local and foreign publishing houses and booksellers. Several activities, including debating competitions, informative and educational talks and a spelling bee competition were also held, during the duration of the fair. Thousands of people, belonging to different walks of life, thronged the halls of the international expo with remarkable enthusiasm. The five-day intellectual activity saw the sale of books reach the staggering amount of 100 millions rupees. All-in-all, KIBF provided excellent opportunities for readers to view and purchase Pakistani and international books and publications at affordable prices.