Pakistan Academy of Letters

After its founding in 1976, Pakistan Academy of Letters remains a government-sponsored institution. It works under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage (Pakistan).

The poet Ahmed Faraz was appointed its first director. It is an autonomous non-profit organisation, supervised by its own board of governors, receiving support from the Government of Pakistan as the apex national institution.

The academy maintains several regional offices, and links with other national and international organizations of a similar status. Its agenda includes promotion of literary education, publication and documentation. with a view to promoting and fostering Pakistani literature, literary activities in Pakistan, and systematizing the support mechanism to writers and scholars of Urdu, Punjabi, Saraiki, Sindhi, Pushto, Balochi, English and other Pakistani languages.

In 1978, Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi became the first chairman of its Founding Fellows, among whom were prominent 'men of letters' representing different languages of Pakistan:

• Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi (history) (first chairman)
• A. K. Brohi (philosophy)
• Hafeez Jalandhari (Urdu language)
• Syed Abdullah (Urdu language)
• Ehsan Danish (Urdu language)
• Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi (Urdu language){{cite web|url=http://pal.gov.pk/?page_id=839 |date=21 April 2013|title=List of Kamal-e-Fun Awards given by the Pakistan Academy of Letters|archive-date=31 August 2014|website=Pakistan Academy of Letters, Government of Pakistan website|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140831020228/http://pal.gov.pk/?page_id=839|access-date=14 September 2021}}
• Sharif Kunjahi (Punjabi language)
• Nabi Bakhsh Khan Baloch (Sindhi language)
• Syed Rasool Rasa (Pashto language)
• Sardar Khan Gashkori (Balochi language)
• Professor Ahmed Ali (writer) (English language)

• Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi (first chairman)
• Ashfaq Ahmed
• Abul Khair Kashfi
• Pareshan Khattak
• Syed Mujtaba Hussain
• Two representatives from the Ministry of Education
• One representative from the Universities Grants Commission (now the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan)

Pakistan Academy of Letters was established in 1976 but its board of governors were not officially appointed by the Government of Pakistan until 1978, when its objectives and functions were also determined.

The Pakistan Academy of Letters gives annual awards called National Literary Awards for the best original books (within the literary and critical categories) written in all the major languages of Pakistan. The award recipients were initially given a cash prize of Rupees 100,000 (increased to Rs200,000 by 2016).{{cite web|url=

http://pal.gov.pk/?page_id=112|date=21 April 2013|archive-date=31 August 2014|access-date=14 September 2021|title=National Literary Awards given yearly since 1980 by the Pakistan Academy of Letters |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140831003822/http://pal.gov.pk/?page_id=112 |website=Pakistan Academy of Letters, Government of Pakistan website}}

In 1980, Shafiq-ur-Rahman was appointed the academy's first chairman. He has been followed in this fixed-tenure position by a number of writers.

From time to time, the Academy nominates Fellows, and more restrictively some Life Fellows, who earn the privilege of using the post-nominal letters FPAL. The Fellowship of the academy is highly selective, indicating high distinction in the respective field, and is only awarded to those who are recognized to have contributed extraordinary work to enrich the creation and understanding of Pakistani literature.

The Kamal-e-Fun Award (Lifetime Achievement Award) was launched in 1997 by the academy in the field of literature for recognition of creative and research work done by individuals. It also initially carried a cash award of Rupees 500,000 (increased to Rupees 1 million by 2016). Starting in 1997, it was conferred on fourteen people by the end of 2010. A jury comprising Pakistan's eminent literary figures announces, after careful consideration, the name of the yearly award recipient. This award is considered to be Pakistan's highest literary award.{{cite news|url=https://nation.com.pk/06-Aug-2008/ajmal-khattak-nominated-for-kamalefun-award |title=Ajmal Khattak nominated for Kamal-e-Fun Award|author=Fareiha Rehman|date=6 August 2008|newspaper=The Nation (newspaper)|access-date=14 September 2021}}{{cite news|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1262483/lifetime-achievement-kishwar-naheed-nominated-top-literary-award |title=Kishwar Naheed nominated for top literary award|agency=Associated Press of Pakistan|date=13 December 2016|newspaper=The Express Tribune (newspaper)|access-date=14 September 2021}}

On 24 September 2003, Pakistan Postal Services issued a commemorative postage stamp on the 25th anniversary of the academy's 'official founding' in 1978.{{cite web| url=https://www.google.com/search?q=2003+postage+stamp+for+Pakistan+Academy+of+Letters&tbm=isch#imgrc=39OqjqYzUxyBcM |title=2003 postage stamp for Pakistan Academy of Letters|website=Google Books website|access-date=15 September 2021}}

In 2020, Pakistan Academy of Letters inaugurated 'Faiz Ahmed Faiz Auditorium' on Faiz Ahmad Faiz's birthday with the poet's daughters Muneeza Hashmi, Salima Hashmi and noted litterateur Iftikhar Arif in attendance. Federal Minister of Education Shafqat Mahmood also spoke on the occasion.[https://www.dawn.com/news/1534288 Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) inaugurates Faiz Ahmed Faiz Auditorium] Dawn (newspaper), Published 14 February 2020, Retrieved 13 September 2021

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• [https://pal.gov.pk/directory.aspx Pakistan Academy of Letters]

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Category:Learned societies of Pakistan

Category:Pakistani writers' organisations

Category:National academies

Category:1976 establishments in Pakistan

Category:Government agencies established in 1976