PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Caretaker Minister for Newly Merged Districts Affairs, Industries, Commerce and Technical Education, Dr. Aamer Abdullah Wednesday said that Tribal Research Cell is an important heritage for the availability of authentic records related to the historical background of the merged districts and former tribal areas of the province while directed the relevant authorities to preserve the available historical record and other written materials in the cell.
He said that the authorities should submit a reasonable development scheme for approval so that to not only ensure the long-term preservation of records available in the research cell, rather make the availability of these historical materials and literature possible for researchers through online facilitation.
He expressed these views during a visit to the historical Tribal Research Cell, established under the Home and Tribal Affairs Department in Namak Mandi here.
During the visit, the minister inspected various parts of the research cell and checked the historical records and official files of the pre-independence and post-independence periods related to the affairs of tribal areas, former states merged into the province and neighbouring country Afghanistan.
Speaking on this occasion, he described the cell as a very important asset for the convenience of researchers from a historical and research point of view, and directed to get support from the Archives Directorate to preserve all the old records here, while digitizing all the records of the cell.
He also directed to prepare a PC.1 and submit it within a week time regarding technological facilitation of digitizing the old record available in the cell.
The minister asked the authorities to also contact the UN organization UNESCO, in terms of getting assistance for the preservation of such a historical record.
He emphasized on the cataloging of historical files and written collections in the cell and asked that the cell should contact the relevant departments of the University of Peshawar to get the support of researchers in utilization of such historical records.
