New Delhi : The government-aided National Book Foundation of Pakistan may have pulled out of the 19th New Delhi World Book Fair at the last moment, but the other stalls of Pakistani publishers who are here are a big hit among the crowds.

Showcasing a range of books on feminism, women and Islam, Benazir Bhutto and poetry, the two Pakistani stalls - of Kitab Bhawan and Iqbal Academy Pakistan - drew many visitors at the fair that began Saturday.

Flipping through a book "Believing women in Islam" by author Asma Barlas at the Kitab Bhawan stall, Nayan Sharma said: "I was quite surprised to see this book here. Call it pre-conceived notion or whatever, I somehow didn't expect to see a book on an issue like feminism in the Pakistan stall."

"The media keeps highlighting how women are mistreated in countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan. But this book - whose tagline is 'Unreading patriarchal interpretations in the Quran' - gives a different perspective and it should make for an interesting read," Sharma, a student of Delhi University, told the media. Saira Bano of the Kitab Bhawan said their books on women and Islam had attracted a lot of attention.