Bridge in Pakistan and the History of the Sport of Bridge

Duplicate Bridge was introduced in Pakistan in 1957 by a civil engineer Mr. Kh. Azeemuddin, the founder and Managing Director of Associated Consulting Engineers (ACE) private limited. He, with the active support of his colleagues Mr. Ashfaq Ahmed, Mr. Qavi Khan, Mr. Mahmood Ali, and Mr. Kadir Ali founded the 57-Club at the Nazimabad Club, Karachi. Other such organisations also sprung up and they joined hands to popularise the game. Late Mr. Muhammad Tasnim and Dr. R.H. Usmani organised tournaments to give a boost to the game. No rules had been formulated at that time, but their verdict was accepted by all.

Pakistan Bridge Federation

Contract Bridge was introduced in Pakistan in the 1950s. It was generally played by army officers, business executives and people of the elite group. Duplicate bridge, which is better known as competitive bridge, was first introduced in Pakistan by Khaja Azeemuddin, a civil engineer, who started duplicate bridge after forming the 57-Club at the Nazimabad Club in Karachi. Quickly the game spread, until most social clubs in Karachi and Lahore had reserved spaces for contract bridge and began to hold duplicate bridge tournaments.

The Pakistan Bridge Federation (PBF), founded in 1972, is the national governing body for all competitive bridge tournaments and development in Pakistan. It became the founding member of the Bridge Federation of Africa, Asia & the Middle East (BFAAME) in 1981, which initially boasted of 22 member countries, until a separate zone was created for Africa. It is currently known as the Bridge Federation of Asia & the Middle East, and is represented as Zone 4 of the World Bridge Federation.

Karachi Bridge Association

Affiliated to Pakistan Bridge Federation. The Karachi Bridge Association invites the visitor to join their weekend Duplicate Bridge Programs at Aslam Bridge hall located at: Citizens Enclosure-2, Block-M, National Stadium, Karachi.

Punjab Bridge Association

Located in Lahore, Pakistan, the Punjab Bridge Association provides pertinent information about tournaments, dates and times, the results of such tournaments, news about individual bridge clubs, and information on bridge lessons.