Pakistan Academy of Letters was established on July 1, 1976 as an autonomous body under the Federal Ministry of Education. Aims and objectives of the organization were formulated in 1978. Dr. Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi, Mr. A. K. Brohi, Mr. Hafeez Jalandhari, Mian Syed Rasool Rasa, Prof. Ahmad Ali, Mr. Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi, Mr. Sharif Kunjahi and Dr. Nabi Bakhsh Khan Baloch were nominated as founding members. Dr. Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi was the first chairperson of the Majlis-i Rufaqā’ē Aṡāṡī i.e. a body of the founding members. A Board of Governors was also established to provide guidance.
In compliance to a decision of the Apex Court and in the light of instructions by the Establishment Division, the Academy was given the status of an attached department. However, to effectively implement the aims and objectives of the Academy, the-then administrative ministry considered it imperative to restore the autonomous status of the Academy. Finally, in the light of the Apex Court’s judgment and the instructions of the Establishment Division, a bill was prepared which was enacted in March 2013 as the Pakistan Academy of Letters Act, 2013. Thus, the Academy was once again given the status of an autonomous body. Presently, the Academy is working as an autonomous body under the National Heritage & Culture Division, Government of Pakistan.