Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The National Book Foundation (NBF) has started a number of schemes including establishing bookshops at several railway stations for boosting book reading habits among students and general public.

An official of the NBF said that the Foundation had established a number of bookshops at various railway stations especially in Rawalpindi, Quetta, Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Peshawar and Gujrat.

During a visit to the bookshops at the railway stations, one could see the staff working all day long day to facilitate the passengers with informative books at the railway platforms.

The officials of the bookshops said that a number people were buying books at platform shops. They informed that books of poetry, literature, information, general knowledge, stories and magazines were available at these bookshops. An official further said that the Foundation also conducted book fairs, festivals and published books written by local writers and entertainment magazines besides providing books at discounted rates.

He said that a 55 per cent discount was available at NBF sales outlets and a 50 per cent at other prescribed book shops for the registered members throughout the country.

He said that NBF had been publishing books relating to history, culture, and national leadership so as to promote the soft image of the country.

He said that the NBF had also established a number of libraries for children, women and had also opened a general reading library, a national book museum and organised summer camps for children.