Senate panel for expediting digitization process of national archives

ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel on Tuesday called for the National Archives of Pakistan to speed up digitisation of its collections and make them accessible to the masses, as officials said about six million pages were currently being digitised in a process that began in 2022.

The Senate Committee on Delegated Legislation, chaired by Naseema Ehsan, also sought a deadline for provincial governments to respond to proposed amendments to the rules governing the Archives.

The officials told the committee that consultations with provincial organisations were under way, but responses from the provinces had yet to be received.

Senator Bushra Anjum Butt stressed that a clear timeline was needed to avoid further delay in finalising the rules.

Under the proposed amendments, a member of the National Archives would also represent the provinces. The officials said the minimum penalty under the revised rules was proposed at Rs 5,000.

The digitisation project was a major focus of the meeting. Officials said IT personnel were being recruited for the work and a backup server had been established in Karachi to safeguard digitised records.

An application to provide access to digitised books and other archival material was also under development. Senator Ehsan directed officials to expedite its development and make it operational at the earliest.

The committee was informed that an archives-related project had been included in the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), while plans were also under way to establish a museum at the institution according to international standards.

Butt called for the archives to be revamped and for greater efforts to engage younger generations.

She said children and students should be encouraged to learn about Pakistan’s history and heritage through modern and accessible means.

Senator Rubina Qaim khani also stressed the need to improve public awareness of the institution and its collections. She noted that advertisements for posts had not attracted sufficient interest.

Officials said recruitment rules had subsequently been developed to facilitate the hiring of suitable staff.

The committee was briefed on cooperation with the Higher Education Commission (HEC), which had resulted in archival studies being introduced as an academic subject. Training programmes had also been organised to develop professional expertise.

Officials said the National Archives was responsible for preserving historical records falling within the federal domain, while provincial records remained under the respective provincial jurisdictions.

The archives holds manuscripts, gazettes, microfilm and handwritten records, including papers associated with Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Fatima Jinnah. The officials said these historically significant collections had been recognised as world heritage.

The members were told that documents were assessed for authenticity and archival significance when acquired, with researchers and subject experts examining their historical context and characteristics. The measures were also in place to protect material against theft, loss or misplacement.

The institution maintains controlled levels of humidity, temperature, light and dust to protect documents from deterioration, while measures are being taken to preserve magnetic media and other vulnerable formats.

Following the meeting, the committee members visited various sections of the archives and received briefings on the preservation, storage and digitisation of historical records.

The committee stressed that exhibitions and seminars organised by the archives should be expanded through digital platforms and educational programmes, particularly for students and younger audiences.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026