With an M.A. and a B.A (Honors) Diploma in Librarianship (London); F.L.A., Fazal Elahi was perhaps the highest qualified librarian who opted to serve Pakistan on independence. He was born and brought up in Lahore. He preferred to stay at Lahore in the initial years of Pakistan, and took an active part in several professional undertakings in association with Abdul Moid and Khwaja Nur Elahi. It is said that he was a strong candidate for the post of librarian of the University of the Punjab but that he was denied appointment for being vocal with the staff at the library just before the scheduled interview. Following this incident, the staff members in a group met the vice–chancellor and complained about him. Consequently, the scheduled interview was cancelled [15]. Instead he had to teach Economics and English at M.A.O. College from 1948 to 1950.
In fact, Fazal Elahi could not find a professional job until 1950, when he was appointed librarian of the Liaquat National Library at Karachi. The job was not up to his expectations, commensurate with his qualifications and experience, and he soon moved to East Pakistan, where from 1951 to 1954 he held the position of librarian at Dhaka University. There too, he could not stay for a long period because of differences with the authorities and staff. He left for Milan for one year to teach Urdu there. In 1955, he returned to serve as librarian of the Rajshahi University from 1955 to 1958. But there too, he developed serious differences with the teachers’ community, forcing him to resign [16].
In 1958 he joined the library of the American Friends of the Middle East in Karachi. This was the most productive period of his professional life. He was instrumental in the formation of the Pakistan Library Association and the organization of the first historical conference of the Association. In 1959, he was a cooperative teacher at the Department of Library Science at the University of Karachi. He died of a heart attack in Lahore in 1961 while making final arrangements for the Fourth Annual Conference of the Pakistan Library Association.
Notwithstanding his personal weaknesses Elahi played an active part in the development of the library profession in the country. As early as 1948 he made an unsuccessful attempt in collaboration with Khawaja Nur Elahi and A. Moid for the formation of the national library association. This trio did succeed in reviving Modern Librarian in 1949, but it ceased publication after three issues. The existence of a Diploma course in Library Science in 1948 at Lahore under the directorship of Fazal Elahi was reported in Modern Librarian, but it was nothing more than an advertisement to create an environment for such a course.
Born at Lahore in 1905, Elahi received his B.A. in 1917 from Islamia College, Lahore. From 1929 to 1933 he worked at the Quartermaster General Office of the British Armed Forces Headquarters at Delhi. He completed the Certificate Course in Library Science in 1934 from the Punjab University and in the same year he joined Delhi University, where he worked for thirteen years in various capacities. He rose to the position of assistant librarian, which was quite a dignified post at that time. The Delhi University Library was then headed by Professor Das Gupta. He opted to serve Pakistan on independence.
As the librarian since 1948 of Punjab Public Library, the country’s leading public library, he was actively involved for about 18 years in all the major library events which took place in the initial years of the establishment of the country. These include: preparation of the first plan for library development in the country; revival of Modern Librarian; formation of the Pakistan Library Association, the Pakistan Bibliographical Group, and the West Pakistan Library Association; and, institution of the degree program at the University of the Punjab.
His leadership qualities were ably manifested on the eve of the fourth and fifth annual conferences of the Pakistan Library Association, held at Lahore in 1961 and 1964 respectively. Modesty was perhaps his best asset and totally unmatched in the profession. Through his humility of character and his unfailing readiness to listen to the vibrant voices of others, he earned their high esteem and lasting respect. I always found him to be simple in his ways, constantly inspiring, ever understanding, unfailingly warm and a just man. He was one of few librarians who commanded the respect of the librarians of both the wings of Pakistan.