Anjuman-e-Taraqqi-e Urdu is a historic literary collection, established in 1903 to promote Urdu literature and language. The collection was divided at the time of India’s partition, with half the manuscripts remaining in Delhi and the other half sent to Pakistan. The Pakistan collection contains approximately 2,000 manuscripts in Urdu, Persian, and Arabic (1,160 Urdu, 763 Persian, 82 Arabic). These rare works, some dating back to the 15th century, are a part of the eminent Urdu scholar and linguist Maulvi Abdul Haq's (1870–1961) larger personal collection. Following the partition of India, Maulvi Abdul Haq migrated to Karachi, Pakistan, in 1948 and brought a significant portion of his valuable manuscript collection with him. The collection represents a wide variety of genres and includes copies of the Qur’an, epic poetry, Sufi treatises, works of historiography, autobiographies, and dictionaries. With the digitization of the Anjuman-e-Taraqqi-e in Pakistan, partners may reach the ultimate goal of someday bringing these manuscripts together with their counterparts in Delhi and digitally uniting the original collection. HMML is actively pursuing other projects in Pakistan and throughout South Asia.

Pakistan Stories