Pakistan Library Association: The Difficult Beginnings

This paper traces the history of the initiative that led to the formation of the Pakistan Library Association and deals with the difficulties it faced in its functioning during the first few years of its life. It uses primary documents dealing with this period especially those related to its formation, constitutional difficulties, and operational problems. It tries to explain the reasons why senior librarians stayed away from it in the initial period. It also tries to rectify certain factual mistakes made or inappropriate interpretations of previous writers which were considered important for the younger generation