- NBF Book Readers Club in charge says allocation of Rs 31m not sufficient for book lovers whose appetite of book reading is much more
Pakistan is a country of 180 million people but the federal government has allocated a meagre Rs 31 million for the promotion of book reading among the Pakistani citizens, Pakistan Today has learnt.
In a bid to promote the habit of book reading among Pakistanis, the National Book Foundation (NBF) has launched a membership drive offering certain benefits for its members on purchase of books from its designated book shops all across Pakistan.
There are around 110 book shops in all the major cities of the country from where the members of the Readers Club can purchase books of their choice at discounted rate of 50 percent for all books and they can enjoy 55 percent discount on NBF publications.
Talking to Pakistan Today, NBF Book Readers Club In charge Mubeen Ahmad said that they were expecting a membership of around 20,000 for this year and a member can purchase books up to a maximum of 5,000 per year on Book Readers Club card.
While he admitted that total allocation of Rs 31 million and allowed limit of Rs 5,000 per year per member is not sufficient for book lovers whose appetite of book reading and purchasing is much more than the allowed limit. However, he also pointed out that overall only 55 percent quota of the total allowed limit was utilised by the members last year.
Explaining the process of membership, Mubeen said, “It is very simple! You just come up with two photographs, fill the form, pay membership fee of Rs 100 on the counter and we will give you membership card within 10 minutes.”
Talking about the popularity of NBF’s membership drive, Mubeen said, “We have not advertised the scheme as yet but we already have a membership of over 500 in Islamabad in only two days.”
Imtiaz Ahmad, 35, who was waiting for his turn to submit his membership form told Pakistan Today that he used to be a member of NBF Readers Club for many years as the discounts offered by Readers Club had helped him greatly to pursue his self-financed studies.
“I think this Readers Club has helped me a lot throughout my educational career when I did Matriculation, FA, BA and Law graduation as I was financing my studies myself without any financial help from my family,” a grateful Imtiaz told this scribe.
“I am serving as a law officer in Cantonment Board and I always remember the contribution of NBF for helping me achieve the goals of my life. Now that I am going to take an exam for a judiciary post, I have once again banked upon NBF for books to prepare for the exam,” Imtiaz nostalgically told his association with books and NBF’s Book Readers Club.
While there is a lot of talk of collapsing reading habits in Pakistan, the enthusiasm found among book lovers and the staffs at NBF’s Reader Club is a clear sign that all is not lost yet.
