Once-empty, but now filled with books
sharjah — A lack of flight availability from Pakistan to the UAE was to blame for the book stand, which stood bare on the first day of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF).
When Khaleej Times visited the popular fest dedicated to all things reading on Thursday (day two of the 11-day event), several passersby questioned why booth E15 ‘Maqbool Books —Pakistan’ was empty, whilst others around it sat full of books.
Several people Khaleej Times spoke to alleged that “late delivery” of books could have been to blame, but Babar Maqbool, who represents the third generation of the family business, since reached out to Khaleej Times to set the record straight.
Quashing the rumours that a delay is visa processing may have been another reason for the lack of book display early on in the festival, Maqbool said it was simply not the case. “Our visa came much before time and everything was very professional. The festival management and the Sharjah Book Authority handled everything perfectly.”
On Sunday, the stand was chock-o-block with books; books that “take you places”.
Publishing books in English as well as Urdu, its child-friendly content focuses on a range of subjects from classic Urdu tales for children, and biographies of historical personalities from the subcontinent.