The largest bookstore in Pakistan is on the brink of collapse after struggling with heavy taxes and an alarming decline in the sale of printed books across the country, suggest reports.
Book readers and social media users in Pakistan have expressed shock and dismay at the news, with social networking website Twitter full of posts about the importance of saving bookstores for future generations.
Saeed Book Bank was founded by Taj Muhammad Qureshi in 1932 in Peshawar, but moved to Islamabad after militant threats, reports Arab publication Gulf News.
On Friday, notable figures, including New York Times correspondent Salman Masood and Rawalpindi-based journalist Shiraz Hasan, shared the reports of Saeed Book Bank closing down, to much outrage.
Saeed Book Bank is a three-storied store in Islamabad with a sea of literature and books on a variety of subjects for sale. With digital media changing reading habits, book stores are closing down around the world.
According to Gulf News, another important factor in the closing of the bookstore is the rise in prices of importing books as a result of the down-gradation of trade ties with India over the past two months.
