The need for a stock exchange in East Pakistan arose in 1952 when the Calcutta Stock Exchange halted transactions involving Pakistani shares. Recognizing this, the Provincial Industrial Advisory Council formed an organizing committee in 1953, chaired by A. Khaleeli. The committee rejected the idea of a branch of the Karachi Stock Exchange, favoring an independent exchange in East Pakistan. Promoters were appointed, and the East Pakistan Stock Exchange Association Limited was formed in 1954, later renamed “Dacca Stock Exchange Ltd.” Trading began in 1956 in Narayanganj, later moving to Dhaka in 1958, and then to its own premises in Motijheel C/A in 1959.