Shelving the past: City’s historical treasure dies a slow, painful death

Data going back to the 1840s can be found in the much-neglected record room.

PESHAWAR:

Centuries-old records of Peshawar district are gathering dust at a neglected heritage site near the tehsil office.

Two large wooden gates in the north and south of the building lead to the record hall, which is lined with smaller rooms on the side. But cobwebs and years of dust on the walls and floor makes it impossible to navigate through the space.

Bundles of files containing historical data lie untouched on the ground, in and on top of wooden cupboards, rammed in huge sacks and on top of large dusty tables.



“The building was constructed during the British reign in the year 1849 with the purpose to preserve records,” said Humayun Akhund, a Peshawar-based historian who passes most of his time in the building doing research work.

According to Akhund, files dating back to 1840 can also be found in the room.

“It’s not only the records, but also the building which represents the heritage of the province. The tables, cupboards, shelves, everything here is centuries-old, but unfortunately no one in the government cares about it,” the historian lamented.

Akhund said the room contains files carrying stamps with the signature of governor Abu Tabela (Paolo Avitable) from the period when Sikhs ruled Peshawar. Moreover, the record room also contains information on British governors and other high officials who served in the region.

“This record is of immense importance for anyone who wishes to study the heritage of the city,” Akhund added.



Bukhar Shah, the record keeper who has been working at the building for years now, said, “Gone are the days when the record hall used to be full of activity. Now the building has almost gone and the only two people here are the peon and I.”

“Two people are not enough to preserve these files and clean such a huge room,” he complained.

Shah further said the government has allotted funds for the maintenance of the record rooms but so far no progress has been made.

“Apart from records of the district, we also have old maps of all villages in Peshawar district. These maps are rotting away in sacks covered with years-old dirt and grime,” said Shah, adding they could provide clear details of when the city was walled by the Sikhs.

“Getting access to the record room is impossible,” said Izhar Mehmood who is interested in studying the historical files. “They charge Rs2,000 to Rs4,000 to provide data from a single file,” he claimed.

Mehmood said a majority of the information has been lost because of the way the files have been kept. The print is either unreadable or the paper has become so fragile it cannot be opened without being ripped.

An official at the tehsil office told The Express Tribune, “The provincial government is planning to demolish this building. They think it is a burden because they neither care about the records nor about preserving the province’s heritage.”

The government has reportedly started computerising land records of the district for which a computer section has also been set up at the tehsil office. However, people familiar with the matter say there is very slow progress on the matter and the computerisation may take years to complete.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 19^th, 2013.