Junaid Akram made bibliophiles in Pakistan an offer they couldn’t refuse.
The comedian who currently resides in Dubai is making a trip to Pakistan and has decided that he wants to put his 20kg luggage allowance to good use.
“Hi! I’m travelling back to Karachi this weekend and I have 20kgs of luggage available. Instead of carrying Balaam, Pistay for someone else, I’ve a better idea,” Junaid wrote on his Facebook page on Monday.
“I’m headed to Bookworld by Kinokuniya – the largest bookstore in Dubai – so if you’re an avid reader and really wanted a book but it’s not available in Pakistan, please let me know. I’ll get it for you! Don’t worry about the cost; kindly accept it as a gift from me.”
The purpose behind this idea, according to Junaid is to encourage people – especially youngsters – to read more. “I firmly believe if it’s there anything that’ll take us out of the darkness, it’s books and not roads or tall towers,” he continued. “Trust me, this is not a marketing gimmick… I’m already quite famous. I just want to propagate a culture wherein when I enter a coffee shop, I see more people reading books than taking pointless selfies.”
For Junaid, books are the ideal investment. “Money wise, I’m okay. I’m a low maintenance guy so I really don’t need a lot of it. Besides it’s not a bad investment since it will multiply into more beautiful minds that’ll turn us into a better society though even a small fraction of it, it’s worth it,” he stated. “Please comment/inbox what you need. I only have 20kgs luggage capacity and only those books that are absolutely not available in Pakistan. Thank you.”