The book fair has 330 stalls with books from local and international publications including Iran, India, Turkey, Singapore, China, Malaysia, UK, USA and Emirates United Arabs. The books are available in Urdu, English, Sindhi, Arabic, Persian, Punjabi and Gujarati languages.
Sindh Minister of Education and Culture, Syed Sardar Ali Shah, who launched the fair, said smart mobile phones and tablets could not replace books as the habit of reading books was still alive among the citizens.
He called on the federal government to remove the paper tax to promote the publishing industry and the practice of reading books in the country.
He said a resolution to that effect would also be tabled in the Sindh Assembly to support book publishers if, in case, the federal government does not withdraw the tax.
He said government departments of education and culture would fully support the organization of such book exhibitions in other cities across the province including Hyderabad, Sukkur and Larkana.
Former Sindh Education Minister Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq said Karachi being the business hub of the country, should have its own paper industry like Lahore to support publishers.
He said that the government after the 18th Constitutional Amendment has been empowered to address this issue in the provincial cabinet to urge the concerned industrialists to establish the paper industry in Karachi.
Chairman of the Pakistan Publishers and Booksellers Association, Aziz Khalid, said the availability of quality paper at low prices was essential for publishing good books in the country.
