Archives are national security: a perspective

Having attended a workshop titled 'Sindh, Pakistan and Quaid-e-Azam', organised by Sindh Archives, I returned with a quiet sense of happiness and renewed confidence. In our academic gatherings we usually speak of history with pride. However, what encouraged me this time was seeing that the preservation of our documentary heritage is not being treated as an afterthought. The Sindh Archives, in particular, is carrying a demanding responsibility with visible seriousness reflected even in the seemingly "small" details: a clean, orderly, well-managed office space that feels refreshingly professional compared to the clutter and confusion that too often characterises traditional government offices. This is more than appearance; it signals discipline, care, and respect for records and researchers. The present management at the Sindh Archives appears to be doing its best within real constraints, and the Sindh Government also deserves recognition for sustaining and facilitating this work.

Sindh Archives is one of the most quietly important institutions in the province's intellectual life, a public service that safeguards our documentary heritage and, with it, our national memory. Far from being a storeroom of "old files", it preserves the written record of governance and society namely official documents, correspondence, proceedings, reports and rare publications — so we can understand how institutions evolved and how decisions were made.

In a time of selective memory, political sloganism and fast-moving misinformation, it offers what public debate often lacks: evidence, moving us from "I heard" to "I can show". As a faculty member in a university, I really feel that this role is foundational. Serious scholarship in history, law, politics, economics, sociology, linguistics, and cultural studies depends on primary sources; without them, research becomes second-hand, classrooms produce confidence without proof, and national debates recycle assumptions. If Pakistan seeks credible research and meaningful policy thinking, archives must be treated as a core part of the educational ecosystem, not a neglected corner.

Beyond academia, archives serve the public interest. They preserve the paperwork of the state — administrative correspondence, legislative material, official notifications and governance-related data that shape debates about rights, representation, land, resources, urban planning, heritage protection and institutional responsibility. These documents not only illuminate the past, they also influence the present. When records are scattered or inaccessible, manipulation becomes easy and public trust declines. When records are preserved and made accessible through transparent procedures, public debate becomes healthier because it becomes fact-bound.

Yet the urgency is real. Paper decays, ink fades, humidity destroys files, and administrative transitions scatter records into storerooms or private custody. When such material is lost, we do not lose "papers"; we lose proof. We lose the ability to reconstruct policy histories, trace institutional decisions and correct distorted narratives. History does not survive on emotion; it survives on preservation, professional care and responsible access. This is why continued provincial commitment matters — not only in the form of budgets, but also through staffing, conservation facilities, cataloguing support and steady administrative backing.

Academia must play its part by partnering with the Sindh Archives through internships, joint research, faculty-led training and expert support for cataloguing and digitisation. Universities can also promote thesis work based on primary records, train journalism students in responsible document use and co-host exhibitions and public lectures that bring archival material into civic life. When citizens (especially students) engage with original documents, history becomes evidence-based and societies mature.

If we truly wish to honour Quaid-e-Azam, we must do more than quote him; we must embrace the institutional seriousness he stood for — rule of law, documentation and accountability. Strengthening the Sindh Archives is an academic necessity and a civic duty, and the time to invest in this national memory is now.