By Aziz Khatri
KARACHI: Aga Khan University has partnered with the federal ministry of national heritage and culture to undertake a major upgrade of the National Museum of Pakistan, in a move officials described as a significant step towards preserving and re-presenting the country’s cultural legacy.
The collaboration was formalized through the signing of a memorandum of understanding at AKU’s Karachi campus, during a ceremony attended by senior representatives from the university, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and other partner institutions.
Speaking at the event, the federal minister for national heritage and culture, Aurangzeb Khan Khichi, said Pakistan’s cultural heritage formed the foundation of its national identity and remained a source of collective pride. He described the partnership with Aga Khan University as transformative, saying the restoration of the National Museum went beyond the protection of artefacts.
“This is about creating a world-class center for knowledge, awareness and inspiration,” he said, adding that the project aimed to present Pakistan’s rich and diverse history to global audiences while fostering unity and understanding at home.
According to officials, the initiative will comprehensively upgrade the museum through institutional strengthening, improved curatorial practices, enhanced public engagement and better systems for monitoring and caring for its collections. The goal, they said, was to enable the museum to preserve, interpret and share Pakistan’s heritage more effectively with diverse audiences.
An advisory committee has been established to oversee the work. It will be co-chaired by AKU vice provost Professor Anjum Hilaly and the director general of archaeology and museums, Amanullah. Professor Hilaly emphasized the educational role of museums, describing them as spaces that deepen public understanding of culture and history. He said students and faculty from AKU’s recently established faculty of arts and sciences would play a central role in the project.
Under the partnership, Aga Khan University and other institutions within the Aga Khan Development Network will provide strategic, technical and advisory support. The work will include academic collaboration with AKU’s department of history, historians from the Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilizations in London, and specialists from AKU’s department of archives.
AKU president Dr Suleman Shahabuddin referred to the late Aga Khan’s long-standing emphasis on culture and heritage. He said the Aga Khan often spoke of the importance of pride, arguing that culture could inspire and unite a nation and present it to the world at its best.
Before the agreement was signed, senior leadership from AKU and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture visited the National Museum of Pakistan. They reviewed its libraries, collections, cataloguing systems and existing curatorial and storytelling practices.
