Decades-old Chakwal library in dire straits
Even as flowers bloom in Committee Bagh, a public park around the imposing facade of the Iqbal Library, the inside of the library, with its deserted tables, broken chairs and dust-covered bookshelves lined with fraying books, speaks of years of negligence.
In a tehsil with a population of 656,978, Iqbal Library has 300 members and 10,000 books. The post of librarian has been vacant for 15 years, during which time there have been no renovations and no new books bought for the library.
The library is instead run by a 50-year-old Sohail Riaz, a grade 11 clerk who was recruited 30 years ago. Despite holding a masters in library sciences, Mr Riaz has continued to work as a clerk on the post of librarian and has not been able to get a job according to his qualifications because the Punjab government has not advertised jobs for librarians for many years.