dr Altaf Qadir, a history professor at the University of Peshawar, took ten years to organize the first Peshawar Literature Festival. dr Qadir has held research positions at universities in Germany and the United States and is the author of two books, one on Syed Ahmad Barelvi and the other on Turangzai’s Haji Sahib. In a recent interview with The News on Sunday, he spoke candidly about his idea of the PLF and his plans for its future. Excerpts:
The News on Sunday (TNS): How did you come up with the idea of launching a literary festival in Peshawar?
dr Altaf Qadir (AQ): Ever since 2011, when regular literary festivals started in some parts of the country, I’ve wanted to start one in Peshawar. However, at that time the environment was not conducive to such activities. In 2014 I tried to convince Oxford University Press to help us organize a literary festival like Karachi. I failed. However, I haven’t given up hope. After returning from my scholarship in Germany, I met with Asif Riaz, the country director of the Dosti Welfare Organisation, who agreed with my plan. We organized the first edition of PLF in 2022. It was a three day affair. This year we have extended it to five days. There were more than 60 sessions.
The tourism department of the provincial government has been generous with help. They allowed us to schedule meetings in their halls, provided us with buses to transport our guests, and allowed us to put up billboards to promote our cause.
TNS: Tell us more about the Dosti charity? Who are they and what do they do?
AQ: Dosti is a non-profit organization. It is primarily dedicated to the well-being of children through the provision of education, safe drinking water and health care for both mother and child. The foundation is largely funded by its founder, a physician based in the United States.
Dosti took street kids to activities like drawing and painting. Had the festival been held in a more upscale location, these children would not have been admitted. We are grateful for their commitment to the festival.
TNS: Are there specific reasons why the university was chosen as the venue?
AQ: Yes. We want to keep this event as public as possible. We don’t want to put it in an expensive hotel because not all of our people will be comfortable there. A university is a place for everyone and everyone feels comfortable there. There are no security checks like in hotels and there is no entrance fee. We want the children and the illiterate to participate too. Everyone who worked for the PLF, about 300 people in all, worked for nothing. There was no compensation. An event in a luxury hotel would be different.
TNS: Is the festival an attempt to convey a soft image of the Pashtuns?
AQ: We’re not trying to project an airbrushed image of the Pashtuns; we present ourselves as we are, without make-up. We want the world to accept us as we are, as we accept them, without any labels.
TNS: How would you compare the reactions of the participants this year and last year?
We’re not trying to project an airbrushed image of the Pashtuns; we present ourselves as we are, without make-up.
AQ: Apparently the PLF inspired a lot of people. A few days ago another festival took place at the Serena Hotel. Some people have criticized it for its corporate sponsors, but I believe they do a good job. You have the resources to invite the celebrities. For our part, we will invite the lesser-known people.
TNS: The PLF had a session on the negative portrayal of the Pashtuns. However, the politician who spoke the loudest on this issue was not invited. Why?
AQ: We respect all of our political leaders. They have their narratives, their platforms, and their followers. We wanted to invite those who lack such followers and platforms. We don’t just want to celebrate the celebs. We want to bring some of the lesser-known voices to the fore. We wanted scholars, poets and writers, not politicians or activists. We allowed students to host our sessions.
TNS: And yet Afrasiab Khattak, a politician, was on a panel.
AQ: We do not select panelists based on their political affiliation; We select them for their expertise. Sometimes they belong to a political or religious group. We don’t rule them out for that reason.
TNS: Recently a security guard shot and killed a professor at Islamia College. Before that there was a terrorist attack on the police lines. Were you not advised by the authorities to postpone or cancel the event for security reasons?
AQ: No, the university administration was very cooperative. They banned unnecessary gatherings, but this festival was not considered unnecessary.
TNS: No major publishers or booksellers have set up a bookstall at the PLF. Why this?
AQ: We issued an open call to publishers and booksellers. They could have taken the opportunity to sell their books and there was no fee.
TNS: Do you plan to expand the festival and bring it to other areas of the province?
AQ: Last year the entire festival took place in a single section. This year we had sessions at the Institute of Management Sciences, Benazir Bhutto Women’s University and the Archives Library. We plan to hold some PLF sessions in other parts of KP next year, possibly Swat and Bannu. As a result, more people can benefit from it. Last year we could not log the process. This year we tried to record around 40 percent of the sessions. We plan to upload them online to make them accessible to virtual audiences around the world.
The author is doing his PhD in International Relations. He can be reached at: nadeemkhankpk13gmail.com. He tweets Nadeemkwrites
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