Pakistani literature

Pakistani literature (Urdu: ادبیاتِ پاکستان) is a distinct literature that gradually came to be defined after Pakistan gained nationhood status in 1947, emerging out of literary traditions of the South Asia. The shared tradition of Urdu literature and English literature of British India was inherited by the new state. Over a big time of period a body of literature unique to Pakistan has emerged in nearly all major Pakistani languages, including Urdu, English, Punjabi, Pushto, Balochi, Sindhi, and Seraiki.

There have been many bibliographies and biographical dictionaries documenting Pakistani writers, including the Ahl-i-Qalam Directory published by the Pakistan Academy of Letters and often revised, in its 2010 edition including 3,500 writers but only those alive at that time.