Zaman, a former minister for Cultural Affairs of Pakistan, came to the city to deliver a lecture that proved to be interesting and informative. He exhorted the writers not to be self-centred and write with a clear conscience. "You can't sit in the ivory tower and write, for you don't get the dhadkan of the land," he said. Zaman said: "Literature should touch the inner chords of people, instead of falling into the isms."

Zaman, with his humorous streak, noted: "Ninety per cent of the bestsellers produced across the world are substandard. There is utter stagnation of ideas and people blame the cultural invasion here. But let me tell you, if your roots are deep, nothing can invade your culture."

He ridiculed the latest fad of listing the number of pages in any book. "What has the number got to do with the content? Look at Kafka's novels. They are so small but carry volumes in them."