Freeing the archives

Just over a year ago I finished my term as director of the Punjab Archives Digitisation Project. We started the project in 2016 under the leadership of the then chairman of the Punjab Information Technology Board, Dr Umar Saif, who head-hunted me for the project.

The Punjab Archives, the largest repository of historical materials in Pakistan, with documents dating from the Mughal era, was in a shambolic state. Proper cataloguing had not been done for decades, priceless documents were rotting in damp boxes, and the archive was known for being the most inaccessible repository. Many a historian, including myself, had sad tales of waiting days to even access one file which was only a few seconds’ walk away.

The task of digitisation was of course easier said than done. After the long process of several levels of government approvals, the long wait for the release of money commenced. However, in order to expedite the process we started recruitment so that we could get the best available resources. We hired only the essential staff, saving a large number of sanctioned staff for the later phase, so that no money was wasted. I also decided not to take a penny of the salary allocated to me, so that we could save the exchequer even more money (over four million rupees were saved just from my salary).

We started the project formally in March 2018, with an international seminar on archives in collaboration with Columbia University's Group for Experimental Methods in the Humanities. Columbia’s Dr Manan Ahmad brought an international team of experts, while we collected representatives from all archives in Pakistan, historians, librarians, and other scholars, for two full days of discussion on how to conceptualise the preservation and digitisation process, keeping in view the needs of transparency and accessibility.

With the project formally begun, we initiated a series of exhibitions based on the holdings of the archives to engage the general public in the endeavour. Archives the world over are public spaces where everyone comes to learn, but in Pakistan and especially Lahore, only a few scholars – if lucky – had access. We wanted to democratise access through these exhibitions which attracted people from all walks of life, and kept the archives open even over the weekend. Our first two exhibits, drawn from the archive, were on the 1857 Revolt and its aftermath, utilising documents, etchings, and literature from the era.

Concurrently, we also trained all our staff in archiving. The management of archives is very different from those of libraries, yet nowhere in Pakistan is this subject taught. Therefore, partnering with the Information Technology University and gleaning expertise from international courses on the subject, we created an innovative and interactive course in archival studies which equipped our staff with the latest trends in the management of archives, issues relating to preservation, and the digitisation process. We also emphasised the ethical concerns of allowing people access, not hiding material, and being open.

One highlight of our work was the creation of the first cataloguing scheme of materials from the post-partition period in Punjab. Based on the scheme of the British Library, this pattern meant that once catalogued, materials would be easy to locate and sift. It also made the work of the researcher much easier. We also developed many manuals on preservation, the digitisation process, and other ancillary topics to aid the process.

By the time I left in October 2018, we had test-run and digitised several thousand pages, sifted through over twenty years of documents and double checked their catalogue entries, and were on the cusp of launching an online portal which would allow unfettered access to these documents.

However, it has now been a full year and neither has a qualified person filled my position as project director, nor has any of the documents seen the light of day, making me wonder when something will actually materialise. These continuous inordinate delays certainly show that there is little interest left in the project that it too will soon bite the dust.

My fear is that some unrelated bureaucrat or someone without adequate knowledge and background will become the project director, retarding its progress. The PC1 which was approved when I was there clearly noted that the project director must hold a PhD in History, so that the person must be well-versed with the art of researching in the archive.

Experience of archives management, as I had, would be a plus. There are several PhDs in history now in Lahore, many with foreign degrees, and therefore there is no dearth of qualified people. Therefore, the government must be proactive and not fill in this vacancy internally or via some other unsuitable manner, and appoint the best person for the job. Involving respected academics from various universities in the process of selection could be a strong way forward.

Similarly, the director of the Archives is set to retire in January 2020. A professional rather than a member of the Services and General Administration department should fill his position. The archives director is a technical post, and its director needs to be someone who demonstrably knows about the subject and is qualified to hold the position.

The Punjab Archives are the only major archive in Pakistan where access is still difficult and no online facility has ever been provided. If even in India their National Archives can upload millions of documents online to be freely available to everyone, I do not see why the Punjab Archives cannot follow suit. The Archives department is housed in the tomb of the famed Anarkali who was walled in on the orders of Emperor Akbar.

We must not let our history and heritage be shackled by bureaucratic delays and concealment in the same building, but free it so that we are able to learn from our past and shape the future.

The writer is a Chevening Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies.

Twitter: @BangashYK

Email: Yaqoob.bangash@gmail.com