KARACHI, Jan 23:
Aga Khan University (AKU) has partnered with the federal Ministry of National Heritage and Culture to upgrade the National Museum of Pakistan, aiming to strengthen the preservation, presentation and public engagement of the country’s cultural heritage.
The partnership was formalised through the signing of a memorandum of understanding at a ceremony held at the AKU campus in Karachi, attended by Federal Minister for National Heritage and Culture Aurangzeb Khan Khichi, along with senior leadership from AKU, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) and other stakeholders.
Speaking at the event, Khichi said Pakistan’s cultural heritage was central to national identity and pride. He described the collaboration as a “transformative step” towards safeguarding this legacy, adding that revitalising the National Museum would help create a world-class centre of learning that showcases Pakistan’s history to domestic and international audiences.
Under the agreement, the museum will undergo a comprehensive programme of institutional strengthening, with a focus on curatorial development, public engagement and improved stewardship of its collections. The initiative is intended to enhance the museum’s capacity to preserve and share Pakistan’s cultural heritage with broader and more diverse audiences.
An advisory committee has been established to oversee the project, co-chaired by AKU Pakistan Vice Provost Professor Anjum Halai and Director General of Archaeology and Museums Aman Ullah.
“Museums play a vital educational role by promoting understanding of culture and heritage,” Halai said, noting that students and faculty from AKU’s newly launched Faculty of Arts and Sciences would play a key role in the project.
As part of the partnership, AKU and other agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) will provide strategic, technical and advisory support for the museum’s upgradation. The initiative will also bring together historians from AKU’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, scholars from AKU’s Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilizations in London, and experts from AKU’s Department of Archives.
AKU President Dr Sulaiman Shabuddin said culture had the power to inspire, unify and project a nation’s best image to the world, describing it as a “source of pride” that strengthens social cohesion.
Ahead of the signing, leadership from AKU and AKTC visited the National Museum of Pakistan to review its libraries, storage facilities, cataloguing systems and current curatorial practices. Organisers said the collaboration is rooted in the belief that culture and the arts are essential to education, social cohesion and improving quality of life across communities.
