National Archives Act, 1993

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 THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES ACT, 1993 
 
 
 
 
      CONTENTS 
1. Short title, extent and commencement 
2. Definitions 
3. Management of National Archives 
4. Advisory Board 
5. Transfer of public records to National Archives 
6. Public records to be surrendered on demand 
7. Public records not to be destroyed or disposed of without the au thority of the Director 
General 
8. Access to public records 
9. Penalty 
10. Jurisdiction to try offences 
11. Indemnity 
12. Annual report 
13. Rules 
  
 

 
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THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES ACT, 1993 
ACT NO. VI OF 1993 
[29th March, 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 
Pakistan and archival materials of historical and national significance to Pakistan and for matters 
incidental thereto ; 
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 Pakistan. 
(3) It shall come into force at once. 
2. Definitions.—In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context,— 
1[(a) “Administrative Division” means the Division to which business of this Act 
stands allocated;] 
1[(aa)] “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 ; 
 
 
1Re-numbered and ins. by Act No. XXIX of 2026, s.2.  
 
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(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 Com mittees 
appointed by the Federal Government 1[ Prime Minister or Secretary 
of the Administrative Division]; 
(ii) any document, book, pamphlet, brochure, letter, handout, gazette, 
newspaper, journal, file, manuscript, whether written, printed or 
typed and o ther archival material of historical and national 
significance to Pakistan acquired for the National Archives by the 
Director General. 
3. Management of National Archives.— (a) The National Archives shall be responsible 
for the storage and preservation of p ublic records and other archival materials of historical and 
national significance to Pakistan: 
Provided that such documents as the 1[Secretary of the Administrative Division] may from 
time to time 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 1[Prime Minister] 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 Repre graphic 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 ; 
 
1Ins. and subs. by Act No. XXIX of 2026, ss. 2-3. 
 
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(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 wh ich 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 re cords 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 1[Secretary 
of the Administrative Division] 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 1[Prime Minister]. 
(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 co­ordination 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 1[Prime Minister]. 
5. Transfer of public records to National Archives. —Any non­current 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 : 
  
1Subs. by Act No. XXIX of 2026, ss. 3-4. 
 
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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 dis pose of, or authorise the destruction 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 s nominated by the 1[Secretary of 
the Administrative Division] authorise the destruction of any specified classes of public records. 
8. Access to public records.— (1) Public records referred to in sub­clause (i) of clause (e) 
of section 2 shall be 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 1[Minister-in-charge] may 
decide to exempt any record on grounds of national security from the provisions of this sub­section. 
(2) Access to other public records specified in sub­clause (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. 
 
1Subs. by Act No. XXIX of 2026, ss. 5-6. 
 
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10. Jurisdiction to try offences.—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 
1[Secretary of the Administrative Division]. 
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 th e 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 1[Secretary of the 
Administrative Division]. 
13. Rules.—The Federal Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, make 
rules for carrying out the purposes of this Act.                                    
 
____________ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1Subs. by Act No. XXIX of 2026, ss. 7-8. 
        RGN Date: 02-4-2026