Updated: Tuesday July 05, 2016/AthThulatha
Ramadan 30, 1437/Mangalavara
Asadha 14, 1938, at 01:17:16 PM
The National Archives Act, 1993
Act No. VI of 1993
An Act to provide for the custody and preservation of
public records of Pakistan and archival materials of historical and national
significance to Pakistan
WHEREAS it is expedient to provide for
the custody and preservation of Public records of
It is hereby enacted as follows:---
1. Short title, extent and
commencement. —(1) This Act may be called the National Archives Act,1993.
(2) It extends to the whole of
(3) It shall come into force at once.
2. Definitions. In this Act, unless
there is anything repugnant in the subject or context,---
(a) “Board”
means the Advisory Board for National Archives;
(b)
“Director General” means the Director General of National Archives;
(c)
“National Archives” means the Department of the Government of Pakistan
designated as the National Archives of Pakistan.
(d) “public
office” means any ministry, division, department, federal parliament,
commission, board, corporation, agency, local authority, or any other office
of the Government of the Federation and includes such office or corporation or
other body as the Federal Government may, by notification in the official
Gazette, declare to be a public office;
(e) “public
record” means;
(i) papers,
documents, records, registers, printed materials, books, maps, plans, drawings,
computer records (machine readable records), photographs, microfilms,
cinematograph films, and audio and video recordings of any kind whatsoever
officially received or produced by any public office for the conduct of its
affairs or by any officer or employees, of a public office in the course of his
official duties, including records relating to Commissions and Committees
appointed by the Federal Government;
(ii) any
document, book, pamphlet, brochure, letter, handout, gazette, newspaper,
journal, file, manuscript, whether written, printed or typed and other archival
material of historical and national significance to Pakistan acquired for the
National Archives by the Director General.
3. Management of National Archives.—(1)
The National Archives shall be responsible for the storage and preservation of
public records and other archival materials of historical and national
significance to Pakistan:---
Provided that such documents as the
Federal Government may from time to lime specify can be kept at a place other
than the National Archives.
(2) The National Archives shall be
managed and controlled by the Director General who shall be appointed by the
Federal Government and for the purpose of such management and control it shall
be the duty of the Director General,---
(a) to
ensure the conservation and, where necessary the restoration, of all public
records and other archival material entrusted to his care;
(b) to make
use of all types of Reprographic techniques for reproduction of them where
necessary;
(c) to
describe and arrange all public records and other archival material acquired by
the National Archives;
(d) to
provide facilities for research and reference;
(e) subject
to the terms and conditions on which they are acquired, to reproduce or publish
any public records and other archival material;
(f) to
examine any records in the custody of a public office and to advise such office
as to the care and custody of such records;
(g) to
accept and preserve records which are transferred to the National Archives;
(h) at the
request of any administrative head of a public office, to return to that office
for such period as may be agreed upon between the Director General and the
administrative head concerned, the public records transferred from that office
to the National Archives;
(i) to
acquire by purchase in accordance with the delegated financial authority,
donation, request or otherwise any document, book or other material which is,
or is likely to be, of enduring national or historical value; and
(j) to
perform such other functions as are necessary for the purpose of the said
management and control and as may be assigned to him by the Federal Government
or the Board.
4. Advisory Board.— (1) There shall be established an Advisory Board
consisting of a Chairman, the Director General and not more than fifteen other
members, of whom two shall be members of Parliament, as may be appointed by the
Federal Government.
(2) The function of the Board shall be:---
(a) to lay
down the policies and guidelines for the effective management of National
Archives;
(b) to review
the working of the National Archives;
(c) to
evolve the framework for co-ordination among Archival Institutions;
(d) to frame
rules for conduct of the official business of the National Archives; and
(e) any
other function assigned to it by the Federal Government.
5. Transfer of public records to
National Archives. Any non-current
public records which are more than five years old including records of defunct agencies,
shall be transferred to the National Archives for management and preservation:---
Provided that the Secretary of the
Administrative Division in consultation with the Director General may withhold
the transfer of any such records to the National Archives for such period or
periods as may be prescribed.
6. Public records to be surrendered
on demand. Any person in possession
of public records, whether such possession is authorised or unauthorised, shall
on the demand of the Director General in writing deposit them with the National
Archives:---
Provided that any public records
exempted under section 5 from being transferred to the National Archives shall
not be required to be so deposited:---
Provided further that nothing contained
in this section shall be deemed to apply to any public records which may be
legally in the possession of any person otherwise than in his capacity of an
officer or employee of a public office.
7. Public records not to be
destroyed or disposed of without the authority of the Director General.— (1) No person or officer shall, without the consent
of the Director General, destroy or otherwise dispose of, or authorise the distraction
or disposal of, any public records which are in his possession or under his
control.
(2) The Director General may, with the
approval of a Committee consisting of the Director General, one departmental
representative and two academician nominated by the Federal Government
authorise the destruction of any specified classes of public records.
8. Access to public records.—(1) Public records referred to in sub-clause (i) of
clause (e) of section 2 shall he made available to the public for the purposes
of reference or research after twenty years of their creation:---
Provided that public records having a
bearing on national security, including the records of the intelligence
agencies, shall be made available within twenty years of their creation unless
on a reference from the Secretary of the Administrative Division a Committee
headed by Cabinet Secretary and including such members as may be appointed by
the Federal Government may decide to exempt any record on grounds of national
security from the provisions of this sub-section.
(2) Access to other public records
specified in sub-clause (ii) of clause (e) of section 2 shall be allowed in
accordance with the conditions and deposit of fee prescribed in rules made
under this Act.
9. Penalty. Whoever contravenes the
provisions of section 6 or section 7 shall be punishable with imprisonment for
a term which may extend to three months, or with fine, or with both.
10. Jurisdiction to try offence. No
court shall take cognizance of an offence punishable under this Act except on a
complaint in writing made by an officer authorised in this behalf by the
Federal Government.
11. Indemnity. No suit, prosecution or
other legal proceeding shall lie against any person for anything which is in good
faith done or intended to be done under this Act.
12. Annual Report.—(1)
The Director General shall each year cause to be prepared and transmitted to
the Board a report dealing with the activities of the National Archives during
the preceding year.
(2) The Board shall cause a copy of such report to be
placed before the Federal Government.
13. Rule. The Federal Government may,
by notification in the official Gazette, make rules for carrying out the
purposes of this Act.
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