Of all the organisations promoting Pakistan’s ongoing showpiece Karachi Literature Festival (KLF), there’s one which might be of particular interest to Indians. It’s the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).
Some will see a conflicting signal in this, given all the talk here about isolating Pakistan, but the government’s flagship cultural body, which promotes India’s relations with the external world by executing the foreign ministry’s projects abroad, is one of the sponsors of the event.
Government officials told reporters, India was not giving up on people-to-people contact even if political differences with Islamabad were insurmountable.
This is the first time ICCR is sponsoring the event, which began in 2010.
“We are working to increase India’s cultural footprint across the world under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, including in Pakistan,” ICCR director general Amarendra Khatua said.
The Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) has gained tremendously in significance since it was launched in 2010 and now counts foreign missions of several countries in Pakistan as sponsors. The organisers of KLF attribute this “momentum” to the depth of Pakistan’s literary and cultural roots.
ICCR’s presence at the festival comes at a time when there’s a veritable ban on Pakistani artistes performing in India and when missions on both sides remain reluctant to issue visas to people who can help encourage cultural contact.
While some may see India’s involvement with KLF as coming against the run of play, the government seems to be finally veering round to the view that holding aloof completely from a troublesome neighbour may prove to be of little help.