Former PIA chief librarian feted in Karachi

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Muhammad Younis Hashmi, ex-Chief Librarian of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Technical Library, was feted on November 13 upon his return to Karachi where he had worked at the headquarters of the national flag carrier for more than four decades. 

As PIA has been hitting headlines lately because of the ongoing process of privatization, it was refreshing to find a group of its former staffers making it to the reunion at a restaurant in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, to celebrate the accomplishments of one of their contemporaries who has relocated in Canada, following retirement from service. 

Younis Hashmi has chosen to move to the rapidly growing city of Milton in Ontario, which is also now home to a large number of expatriates from Pakistan. He has stayed in touch with political and social circles besides interacting with fellow professionals of his own field. 

His activism has been proudly hailed by the Pakistani community in Canada in particular, while he has continued to retain contacts in other parts of the world. 

He has planned to stay in his home country for about a couple of months before returning to Canada on the eve of the coming year. 

Shuttling between Karachi and Lahore, he is set to attend the 1st Karachi Festival of Books and Libraries 2024, scheduled to be held on November 26 and 27.