Friday, January 7, 2022

NLA mourns SBP chief librarian’s death

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The top leaders of the National Library Association (NLA) have expressed their condolence over the death of Bashir Ahmed Zia, who had served State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) for a couple of decades as its chief librarian. 

According to the family sources, Bashir Zia passed away at the CMH in Kharian on January 7. His funeral is scheduled to take place at his native town Tehsil Phalia, Mandi Bahuddin, on January 8. 

Syed Muzaffar Ali Shah, President, NLA, who worked with him at the central bank’s library for quite a few years, described his demise as a big loss for the librarians’ community of the country. 

Syed Khalid Mahmood, Advisor, NLA, recalled that the veteran chief librarian had greeted him very enthusiastically and issued him a membership card of the SBP Library right away during his official visit to the central bank’s head office in 2013. 

Anwar Hussain, Secretary, NLA, paid tribute to Bashir Zia, describing him as one of the most efficient and hard-working librarians who was also very knowledgeable and well-informed. 

Bashir Zia held the position of Additional Director & Chief Librarian at SBP since 1999, having previously worked as Assistant Director (Automation & Documentation), Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources, Ministry of Science & Technology, Islamabad, for 11 years. He also had brief stints as Librarian of the Institute of Blood Transfusion, Health Department, Government of Punjab, Lahore, and as Assistant Librarian at the The British Council, Lahore. 

He had done Masters in Library & Information Science in first division from the University of Punjab, Lahore, in 1986 after having graduated from the Government Degree College, Mandi Bahauddin, in 1982.

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