Short History
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.