The Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) is a national institution working for the promotion, publication, and development of literature in Pakistani languages, as well as the welfare of Pakistani writers. It is an autonomous body of the Government of Pakistan, originally established in July 1976 under the Federal Ministry of Education. Currently, it operates as an autonomous body under the National Heritage & Culture Division, Government of Pakistan.
The Academy's headquarters is located at Patras Bukhari Road, H-8/1, Islamabad. To strengthen connections with writers, PAL has also established regional offices in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, and Multan, which assist in promoting literary activities. Regular literary events are organized under the supervision of these offices.
Pakistan Academy of Letters was established on July 1, 1976 as an autonomous body under the Federal Ministry of Education. In 1978, the aims and objectives of the Academy were formulated. Dr. Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi, Mr. A. K. Brohi, Mr. Hafeez Jalandhari, Mian Syed Rasool Rasa, Prof. Ahmad Ali, Mr. Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi, Mr. Sharif Kunjahi, and Dr. Nabi Bakhsh Khan Baloch were nominated as founding members. Dr. Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi was the first chairperson of the Majlis-i-Rufaqā'ē Aṡāṡī (a body of the founding members). A Board of Governors was also established to provide guidance.
Subsequently, in compliance with a decision of the Apex Court and the instructions of the Establishment Division, the Academy was given the status of an attached department. However, to effectively implement the aims and objectives of the Academy, the then administrative ministry considered it imperative to restore the autonomous status of the Academy. A bill was prepared which was enacted in March 2013 as the Pakistan Academy of Letters Act, 2013. Thus, the Academy was once again given the status of an autonomous body. Presently, the Academy is working as an autonomous body under the National Heritage & Culture Division, Government of Pakistan.
Section 12 of the Pakistan Academy of Letters Act, 2013, stipulates the following aims and objectives of the Academy:
The main office of Pakistan Academy of Letters is located at Patras Bukhari Road, H-8/1, Islamabad. To strengthen contacts with writers, the Academy has also established regional offices in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, and Multan, which assist in promoting literary activities. Regular literary events are organized under the supervision of these offices. The office buildings in Peshawar and Quetta are owned by the Academy. Efforts are underway to acquire land for its own buildings in Karachi, Lahore, and Multan.
Pakistan Academy of Letters maintains continuous contact with literary institutions in other countries. Notable partners include the Writers Association of China, the National Administration of Press and Publication of the People's Republic of China, the Union of Bulgarian Writers Association (Bulgaria), the National Academy of Sciences (Belarus), Nepal Academy, Oman Association of Writers and Literature, and Istanbul University of Eastern Languages and Literature (Türkiye). Pakistan is also a member of the China-South Asia Literature Forum, and PAL represents Pakistan in this forum.
A long-term publishing project has been agreed upon between PAL and the Writers Association of China, under which the Academy will publish 100 Chinese books in Urdu while China will publish 100 Pakistani books in Chinese, to familiarize the people of both countries with each other's literature.