Pakistan Parliamentary Libraries: A Historical Excursion and Hopes for the Future

Pakistan’s parliamentary libraries reflect the challenges that the democratic institutions they serve have faced since independence in 1947. This article provides a historical context to the development of the bicameral parliament in Pakistan and four provincial assemblies. It describes the founding and development of parliamentary library and research services in that context and presents some of the newest innovations and reforms that the institutions have initiated in recent years. Introduction I had the distinct honor and privilege to work in Pakistan from October 2005 until February 2008 as the project director of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Pakistan Legislative Strengthening Project implemented by the Bethesda, Maryland, based firm DAI. Our mission was to work with the national bicameral parliament and four provincial assemblies to assist each legislature with its specific needs related to the representation, lawmaking, oversight functions, management, and infrastructure requirements to support those activities. I soon learned that everything about Pakistan, from its history to its cuisine, is complex. There are no simple questions and no simple answers. The situation with parliamentary libraries in Pakistan also reflects this complexity. In the pages that follow I present a historical context and describe the contemporary state of parliamentary libraries in Pakistan. Any evaluations or recommendations present in this text are mine alone, and do not necessarily reflect the position of DAI or the U.S. Agency for International