Khalid Nadeem is a poet and literary scholar who lives in Sargodha. He holds a PhD from the Punjab University Oriental College, Lahore, against his thesis, Dr Akhtar Husain Raipuri: Life & Contributions. He joined the University of Sargodha in 2008 and is working as an Associate Professor in the Department of Urdu Oriental & Languages. Nadeem knows five languages,

Khaled Anam is a singer, actor, song-writer, theatrical producer, and performer. He also hosts and produces a radio show based on Urdu literature and old songs on FM107. With a Master’s from Karachi University, Anam has done various theatrical training courses with Grips Theatre in Berlin, Germany. As part of a core team responsible for translating and adapting over 100

Syed Kashif Raza is a broadcast journalist by profession. A young poet, fiction writer, and translator based in Karachi, he has authored five books including two volumes of poetry. His first novel, Char Darvesh aur Aik Katchwa, was published in October 2018 and was well received in the Urdu literary world. He has also published two poetry collections: Muhabbat ka

Dr Kaiser Bengali is an economist with over 35 years’ experience in teaching, research, and policy advice. He was Managing Director of the Social Policy & Development Centre, Karachi. Dr Bengali was consultant for Economic Affairs and head of the Chief Minister’s Policy Reform Unit, Government of Balochistan. Earlier, he was advisor to the Chief Minister of Sindh for Planning

Kaif Ghaznavi is a faculty at the National College of Arts, Lahore. A Master’s in Fine Arts from the California College of the Arts, San Francisco, she embarked on a new set of career altogether. Founder of Kaif Wala Foundation and Director, Bunvat Festival she is currently under training for classical singing and Odissi dance. She also enjoys a portfolio

Jawad Sharif is an award-winning filmmaker, known for his signature visual storytelling style. He is an alumnus of the UCLA School of Theatre, Film, and Television, Swedish Institute, and Institut Fur Auslandsbeziehunge in Germany. Sharif is also a jury member of the Jaipur Library Academy Awards, India. He has worked on a number of socially and culturally sensitive film projects

Javed Ahmed Mahar holds a Master’s in Forestry from the Pakistan Forest Institute, as well as an LLB. As a Wildlife Conservator in the Government of Sindh, he is responsible for the protection, conservation, and management of wildlife in Sindh.

Javed Jabbar’s range of activities and concerns covers writing, filmmaking, voluntary services, media and communications, environmental issues, politics, and public affairs. In addition to fifteen books including anthologies, and one screenplay to his credit, the third edition of Jabbar’s book, Pakistan—Unique Origins; Unique Destiny? was published in 2017, along with its Urdu and Sindhi language translations. At the 9th KLF,

Jahanzaib Haque is a journalist and researcher who has been associated with the top media groups in Pakistan. A specialist in online journalism, he has launched and headed some of the biggest news sites in Pakistan, such as Tribune.com.pk, Express.pk, DawnNews.tv, and Dawn.com—Pakistan’s biggest English language news site. He is currently serving as Chief Digital Strategist and Editor, Dawn.com—heading the

Imrana Maqsood is a novelist and playwright. Wife of the celebrated entertainment personality, Anwar Maqsood, she has her own claims to fame. She has also written cookbooks and is a three-time winner of the President’s Award, National Book Foundation for Children’s Supplementary Readers. Following her biography of her husband, Uljhe Suljhe Anwar, her most recent work is Subah ka Nashta