Storied Islamabad Bookstore After Founder's Death

Source: nytimes.com

TL;DR

The story at a glance

Saeed Book Bank in Islamabad, one of the world's largest bookstores, lost its founder Saeed Jan Qureshi to heart failure in September 2015; his son Ahmad Saeed took over amid visits from elderly men settling old book debts from childhood thefts. Qureshi built the business from Peshawar roots, thriving on English books despite piracy and extremism. The article profiles this transition two months after his death, highlighting his personal touch as a book advisor, or "oracle."[[1]](https://tribune.com.pk/story/997539/a-storied-bookstore-and-its-late-oracle-leave-imprint-on-islamabad)

Key points

Details and context

Saeed Jan Qureshi never finished high school but became extraordinarily well-read, building the store around personal recommendations that fostered lifelong customers. Five elderly men visited Ahmad post-death to pay for childhood shoplifted books; Qureshi had viewed such thefts as investments in readers who would return as adults—one became vice chancellor of Iqra University.[[1]](https://tribune.com.pk/story/997539/a-storied-bookstore-and-its-late-oracle-leave-imprint-on-islamabad)

The store's breadth—from Queer Studies to Qur'anic works—kept it viable in a piracy-plagued market where English books target educated Pakistanis, diplomats, and aid workers. Qureshi attended book fairs in Frankfurt, London, and Delhi but not the U.S. due to visas, relying on hands-on warehouse visits for selections.[[1]](https://tribune.com.pk/story/997539/a-storied-bookstore-and-its-late-oracle-leave-imprint-on-islamabad)

Key quotes

“They all apologized and said they had tried to see my father while he was alive but his office was always too crowded and they were embarrassed.” — Ahmad Saeed[[1]](https://tribune.com.pk/story/997539/a-storied-bookstore-and-its-late-oracle-leave-imprint-on-islamabad)

“He had always regarded book theft by children as an investment in a future where people still read, and thus become his customers.” — Ahmad Saeed on his father[[1]](https://tribune.com.pk/story/997539/a-storied-bookstore-and-its-late-oracle-leave-imprint-on-islamabad)

Why it matters

Saeed Book Bank stands as a rare bastion for physical books and diverse English titles in Pakistan, resisting online sales, piracy, and extremism that shuttered its Peshawar branch. For readers and book lovers there, it means continued access to global literature amid narrowing options, sustaining a culture of reading Qureshi nurtured for decades. Watch if Ahmad Saeed's modernization—online expansion and inventory tech—matches his father's charisma in keeping the store thriving.[[1]](https://tribune.com.pk/story/997539/a-storied-bookstore-and-its-late-oracle-leave-imprint-on-islamabad)

What changed

Qureshi ran the store daily, personally advising customers and building ties through book loans and recommendations; now Ahmad Saeed manages it solo following his father's September 2015 death.[[1]](https://tribune.com.pk/story/997539/a-storied-bookstore-and-its-late-oracle-leave-imprint-on-islamabad)

FAQ

Q: Who founded Saeed Book Bank and how did it start?

A: Saeed Jan Qureshi founded it after working as a book salesman; he opened his first shop in Peshawar in the 1950s, later expanding amid Cold War demand from U.S. personnel. At age nine, he dusted books for a feudal landlord who let him borrow one nightly in good condition.[[1]](https://tribune.com.pk/story/997539/a-storied-bookstore-and-its-late-oracle-leave-imprint-on-islamabad)

Q: Why did former shoplifters visit Ahmad Saeed?

A: After Qureshi's death, five elderly men came to apologize for not visiting him sooner and to pay for books stolen as children. Qureshi had encouraged young thieves by lending books instead of punishing them, seeing it as building future customers.[[1]](https://tribune.com.pk/story/997539/a-storied-bookstore-and-its-late-oracle-leave-imprint-on-islamabad)

Q: What challenges did the bookstore face in Peshawar?

A: Terrorism and rising fundamentalism made it unsafe, especially stocking titles like The God Delusion, Cosmopolitan, and Heavy Metal. Qureshi closed the Peshawar shop and shifted focus to Islamabad.[[1]](https://tribune.com.pk/story/997539/a-storied-bookstore-and-its-late-oracle-leave-imprint-on-islamabad)

Q: How does Saeed Book Bank source its books?

A: The family attends fairs in Frankfurt, London, and Delhi; they spend $500,000 yearly on U.S. books but struggle with visas, preferring warehouse visits over email orders.[[1]](https://tribune.com.pk/story/997539/a-storied-bookstore-and-its-late-oracle-leave-imprint-on-islamabad)