Celebrating Literature

The Dosti Peshawar Literature Festival (DPLF) is a volunteer-driven and non-commercial literary and cultural festival based in Peshawar and across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The festival was created to bring back the culture of reading, writing, and open discussion in the city and to give young people a space to learn, speak, and grow.

The idea of DPLF started more than ten years before its first festival. Around 2011, when literature festivals began in other cities of Pakistan, there was a strong feeling that Peshawar also needed such a platform. An early effort was made in 2014, but at that time the situation was not suitable. The idea was finally revived with the support of Dosti Welfare Organization, and after an important meeting in late 2021, the first DPLF was held in 2022.

DPLF was started with a clear aim: to create an open and inclusive platform where students, writers, scholars, poets, artists, and common people could share ideas and creativity. Unlike many other festivals that focus on famous celebrities and expensive venues, DPLF gives priority to young, local, and emerging talent and holds its events in public and university spaces so everyone can join freely.

The festival works closely with Dosti Welfare Organization, which supports underprivileged communities through education, health, and social awareness. While Dosti works for physical and educational support, DPLF adds intellectual and cultural growth to this mission. Children and youth connected with Dosti’s programs take part in the festival side by side with university students and teachers, showing the true spirit of inclusion.

Over the years, DPLF has grown from a small three-day festival into a large, multi-day and multi-university movement across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Today, it includes many activities such as talks, book launches, writing workshops, reading circles, debates, heritage visits, and cultural shows, including drama performances. Each year, the festival reaches more people and builds a stronger reading and learning culture.

Today, DPLF follows three simple values: it is non-commercial, it supports young and local talent, and it remains open to everyone. DPLF is not just a yearly event anymore. It has become a growing cultural movement that is helping to shape the thinking, creativity, and confidence of the youth and the wider community of Peshawar and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.