Early Career and Business Foundation

From 1950 to 1951, Mr. Mirza served as a workshop instructor at Punjab College of Engineering

• During that time, he launched his own book business with a small operation that would later evolve into one of Pakistan’s most renowned book agencies.

Until 1988, he was managing partner at Mirza Book Agency and then served as proprietor. From 1968 to 1981, he was the Technical Director of Pak Publishers Ltd., Karachi. From 1962 to 1985, he also served as convener for the Import Group of the Pakistani Publishers and Booksellers Association, guiding policy on book imports in the country during a transformative period in education.

Leadership and Global Representation

In 1990, Mr. Mirza became the only bookseller from Asia appointed to the Logos International Advisory Board. He actively fought book piracy and submitted the Annual Country Report of Book trade in Pakistan to the International Booksellers Federation in Brussels, providing detailed insights and statistics to help align Pakistan's book industry with international standards.

He held memberships in the following organizations:

• Pakistan Association for the Advancement of Science (since 1956)
• Pakistan Library Association
• Pakistan Institute of Management
• Horticulture Society of Pakistan
• Bangladesh Library Association
• Pakistan Publishers and Booksellers Association
• Pakistan American Alumni Association
• American Booksellers Association
• American Library Association (foreign member)
• National Association of College Stores
• Afro-Asia Book Council (New Delhi)
• Lahore Chamber of Commerce
• Scientific Society of Pakistan
• International Consumer Credit Association
• Bookseller Association of Great Britain
• National Retail Merchant Association

He frequently served as liaison between Pakistan and international publishing bodies, cultivating relationships that enabled Pakistani booksellers and publishers to gain access to global distribution networks and training.

Recognition and Achievements

• 1958: Selected by the U.S. Government to visit the U.S. under a prestigious foreign specialist exchange program involving fewer than 200 global leaders. This exclusive program included individuals such as the Prime Minister of Pakistan, the Chief Justice of Pakistan, and other prominent figures from both East and West Pakistan. Mr. Mirza's inclusion highlighted his national stature and expertise in the book trade. to visit the U.S. under a prestigious foreign specialist exchange program involving fewer than 200 global leaders.
• 1963: Chosen by Pergamon Press, Oxford, for in-house publishing training; also addressed the Book Development Council in London.
• 1971: Selected by the Government of Pakistan to attend a book production training course in Tokyo, Japan. That year, he also facilitated the first international publishing mission to Pakistan by the Publishers Association of London.

In the early 1980s, Mr. Mirza updated the Pakistan section of the International Literacy Marketplace and took part in government committees on the economics of publishing and book distribution.

• 1983: Chaired key committees of the Pakistan National Book Council related to distribution and promotion.
• 1984: Organized  Pakistan’s  First  International  Seminar  on  Copyright,  Piracy,  and

Reprinting in Lahore.

• October 1984: Proposed the idea for an international copyright protection committee at the Frankfurt Book Fair, leading to the creation of the ICPIPR.
• Also in 1984, addressed the International Trade Committee of the American Association of Publishers in New York — the first Pakistani to do so.

Continued Representation and Impact

• November 1985: Led the First Pakistani Booksellers Inward Mission to the U.K., which resulted in long-term business alliances and library exchange programs.
• June 1986: Represented Asia at the International Booksellers Federation General Assembly in Padua, Italy, contributing to policy resolutions.
• 1989: Participated in the Bookseller Inward Mission to the U.K., where he negotiated inclusion of Pakistani publishers in international catalogs.
• January 1992: Represented Pakistan at the IPA Congress in New Delhi — the first such representation by a Pakistani delegate — securing observer status for the country.
• June 1992: Represented Asia at the International Booksellers Federation General Assembly in Madrid, Spain, sponsored by UNESCO.

During these high-level events, Mr. Mirza was responsible for shaping policy discussions around access to books in developing countries, the role of ethical publishing in national development, and international cooperation to curb piracy. He built bridges between publishing markets of the Global South and the West.

Publications

Mr. Mirza authored over a dozen significant works that served as guiding references for policy makers, educators, librarians, and publishers. These include:

• "Development Series No. I: Copyright & Book Piracy" (1984)
• "Book Price and Distribution" (Pakistan Book Development Council, 1990)
• "Promotion and Distribution of World Bank Publications in Developing Countries with Special Reference to Pakistan" (Frankfurt B F Sales Meeting, 1990)
• "Problem in Book Supplies to Librarians" (Pulsa Golden Jubilee, Vol. 2, No. 3, 1990)
• "Copyright and Booktrade No. 13 – August 1991 – December 1992" (Pakistan Library Association Journal, 1992)
• "International Booksellers Federation Country Report – Pakistan" (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994)
• "Library Literature Produced in Pakistan 1983–90" (PLA Federal Branch, 1992)
• "Report on 9th World Bank Fair 1992" (Federation of Indian Publisher Publishing News Bulletin No. 9, 1993)
• "Copyright – Piracy & Reprint" (Nawa-i-Waqt, 1993)
• "Promotion and Distribution of Afro-Asian Publications" (International Seminar on Afro-Asian Publishing, 1994)
• "Role of Booktrade in National Development" (Pakistan Library Journal, 1993)

Additional Roles and Honors

• Representative: International Booksellers Federation General Assembly (UNESCO, 1992)
• Leader: Bookseller Inward Mission to United Kingdom
• Organizer: 1st International Seminar on Copyright, Piracy & Reprinting (Lahore, 1984)
• Trainee: Book Production Training Course by Government of Pakistan (1971)
• In-House Trainee: Pergamon Press, Oxford (1963)
• Contributor: American Library Association (1963–67 & from 1994)
• Advisory Board Member: Logos International
• Founding Member: Afro-Asia Book Council (from 1992)

Service to Society

In 1968, Mr. Mirza instituted a gold medal at Punjab University’s Administrative Sciences Department for the student securing first position in the final exam. This tradition continues today as a symbol of academic excellence.

He also donated generously to hospitals and educational institutions throughout Pakistan, enabling access to education and healthcare for underprivileged students and patients. His belief in community welfare was a cornerstone of his life's mission.

Legacy

Mr. Mahmud-Ul-Hassan Mirza’s extraordinary legacy as a scholar, bookseller, reformer, and humanitarian continues to guide Mirza Book Agency. His life was a living example of how business, education, and ethics can together uplift society and create a lasting global impact.

Today, Mirza Book Agency proudly continues his mission — spreading knowledge, fostering literacy, and serving as a beacon of integrity in the publishing world.