KARACHI - As many as 300,000 people will be attending the forthcoming 8th five-day Karachi International Book Fair 2012 that would commence from December 6 (Thursday) at the Expo Centre. The event, being organised by the Pakistan Publishers’ and Booksellers’ Association (PPBA), would help diminish the current wave of extremism in the city and the country as well, PPBA chairman Aziz Khalid told The Nation on Sunday.According to him, more than one million wide varieties of books would go on display at as many as 310 stalls. Publishers from the US, India, Iran, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Germany, UAE and England would be participating in the international event. He said that the event would be unique as publishers from all over the country were willing to take part in it. He reminded that in the last KIBF in 2011, the publishers and booksellers had made a record business of Rs100 million in five days.Provincial Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haq would inaugurate the book fair, in which more than 180 national and international publishers, distributors and booksellers would participate. The book fair is designed to attract the common man and provide them an easy to wide varieties of books, published nationally and internationally. The 8th KIBF will have great opportunities for literary circles, book lovers and the common man. It may be mentioned here that the National Book Foundation, Ministry of Education, Government of Pakistan, has extended its full support to make the event a success. One of the main objectives of the event is to promote literacy in the country and revive reading habits among the masses.