The Aga Khan University (AKU) has entered into a significant partnership with the Federal Ministry of National Heritage and Culture, formalised by a Memorandum of Understanding, to spearhead a comprehensive upgrade of the National Museum of Pakistan.

According to AKU report today, the collaboration, officially signed at a ceremony on the AKU campus, aims to transform the museum through institutional strengthening, curatorial enhancement, and improved public engagement. A primary focus will be on the enhanced stewardship of the museum’s extensive collections to preserve and present Pakistan’s cultural heritage to more diverse audiences.

Federal Minister for National Heritage and Culture, Aurangzeb Khan Khichi, who witnessed the signing, described the initiative as a “transformative step” in the mission to safeguard the nation’s legacy. ‘This partnership with the Aga Khan University represents a transformative step in our mission to safeguard this legacy,’ he stated. ‘We are not just preserving artifacts; we are creating a world-class center of learning and inspiration.’

To guide the revitalisation efforts, an Advisory Committee has been formed, co-chaired by Professor Anjum Halai, Vice Provost at AKU Pakistan, and Mr Aman Ullah, the Director General of Archaeology and Museums.

Professor Halai emphasised the educational impact of the project, explaining, ‘Museums play an important role in education in society through promoting an understanding of one’s culture and heritage.’ She confirmed that students and faculty from AKU’s newly launched Faculty of Arts and Sciences will be pivotal to the project.

Under the agreement, AKU and other agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) will furnish strategic, technical, and advisory support. The project will also create a focused scholarly collaboration, uniting the history faculty of AKU’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, historians at its Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilizations in London, and the university’s Department of Archives.

Dr Sulaiman Shabuddin, President of AKU, highlighted the philosophy behind the work, recalling that the late Aga Khan frequently spoke of culture as a source of pride. Culture, he said, ‘has the power to inspire and unify an entire nation. And it can reveal that nation, at its best, to the outside world.’

Ahead of the signing, leadership from AKU and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) toured the National Museum, reviewing its libraries, storage, cataloguing processes, and current curatorial practices.