Pakistan Literature Festival

Art and literature play a key role in cultural diplomacy by helping to shape a country's image and promote understanding between nations. Cultural diplomacy plays a crucial role in international relations by promoting understanding, building trust, and fostering cooperation between nations. It involves the exchange of ideas, values, traditions, and beliefs through various cultural expressions such as music, art, literature, and language. It can also be used as a diplomacy tool to influence foreign policy outcomes and improve diplomatic relations between countries.

By facilitating dialogue and cultivating relationships between citizens of both nations, public and cultural diplomacy assures linkages between the United States and Pakistan that can persist even when government-to-government relations sour. It is successful because it involves citizens, community leaders, civil society organizations, media, and influential groups.

International Academy of Letters USA is a Houston-based non-profit, non-political, and non-partisan think tank organization working to build bridges between Pakistan and the USA through cultural and public diplomacy. It organizes conferences, dialogues, and conversations on culture, literature, arts, international affairs, and Pakistan-USA Relations. International Academy of Letters, USA, organized the first-ever two-day Pakistan Literature Festival in Houston on October 12-13, 2024. The writers, journalists, intellectuals, diplomats, authors, artists, and academicians attended the festival and participated in various sessions.

This is for the first time that Pakistani diaspora got an opportunity to attend thought provoking sessions on Pakistan: Challenges and Opportunities, art, diplomacy, literature and social change, Screening of the film on Jinnah, Book Discussion of Dr. Nasim Ashraf, Narration of Mushtaq Ahmad Yousafi, Mushaira, Paitings exhibition of Sadequain and violin performance by Ustad Raees Ahmed Khan. The main objective of this festival is to showcase Pakistani literature and art and create a soft image of Pakistan through dialogue on diplomacy, literature, art, culture, and Paki-USA relations.

H.E. Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States of America, inaugurated the festival and participated as a panelist in the session on ‘Pakistan: Challenges and Opportunities. In his final remarks, he discussed the contours of the current state of Pakistan-USA relations and highlighted the importance of a policy shift from geo-strategic to geo-economics. In his inauguration speech, he appreciated the efforts of the International Academy of Letters for using art and literature as tools of cultural diplomacy to build bridges between Pakistan and the USA. He said it is the need of the hour to foster people-to-people relationships between the two countries. Mr. Ghazanfar Hashmi, President & CEO of International Academy of Letters USA, thanked the Pakistani ambassador for accepting the invitation and inaugurating the Pakistan Literature Festival. He gave details of the sessions and highlighted the importance of art and literature in creating a soft image of Pakistan in the world. He also discussed the future public diplomacy projects of International Academy of Letters USA and their role in and impact on Pakistan-USA relations. Mr. Faisal Momin, President Ismaili Council for the Southwestern USA, gave a welcome address in the inauguration ceremony.

The attendance at all sessions remained full during both days. This unique festival provided a platform for writers, authors, journalists, diplomats, and intellectuals to exchange ideas and will help foster people-to-people contacts between Pakistan and the USA.