LPB founder’s farewell held despite Coronavirus

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Coronavirus may have cancelled or postponed innumerable social and sporting events all over the world during the last few days but the farewell meeting in the honour of Prof Dr Ghani-ul-Akram Sabzwari, Founder President, Library Promotion Bureau (LPB), and Founder Editor, Pakistan Library and Information Science Journal (PLISJ), was held, as originally planned, at the Liaquat Library, Karachi, on March 16. 

“It has been our tradition to organize warm sendoff for Prof Dr Ghani-ul-Akram Sabzwari on the eve of his long journey to North America and we have been successful in holding the ceremony once more despite the Covid-19 virus,” Prof Dr Nasim Fatima, Founder and President of Bazm-e-Akram, remarked on the occasion. 

“As Prof Dr Ghani-ul-Akram Sabzwari is due to fly to USA on March 25, we are hoping and praying that he doesn’t encounter any problems in reaching the destination with so many flights getting delayed and cancelled in the recent past due to lockdowns in various countries,” she added. 

One of the founding fathers of Library and Information Science (LIS) in the country, Prof Dr Ghani-ul-Akram Sabzwari expressed his gratitude to the members and office-bearers of Bazm-e-Akram to have continued the tradition of hosting receptions in his honour despite the challenging situations. 

Having relocated in North America, upon retirement from service, he looked forward to coming back to Pakistan for another long visit later in the year, as he has made it a point over the years to spend the winter months in Karachi. 

The farewell reception was attended, among others, by Azra Qureshi, Syed Ahmed Naqvi, Zain Siddiqui, Dr Amna Khatoon, Prof Liaquat Ali Khan, Syed Khalid Mahmood and Sajid Fazlee. The meeting was followed by working lunch.