PITB launches a web portal with 7 million unique documents, historical data & much more

The Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) has launched a web portal containing 7 million unique documents, rare books and digitized data of historical record from the 17th century. The web portal has been developed in collaboration with Punjab Archives & Libraries, and S&GAD.

Punjab Archives & Libraries Secretary Tahir Yousaf and PITB Chairman Azfar Manzoor inaugurated the portal at the Civil Secretariat on Friday and includes digitized data covering the pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial period in South Asia. It is the first time ever that these historical documents and rare books have been presented online to the public.

The website was developed under the project of “Digitization, Preservation, and Modernization of Punjab Archives”, and it aims to digitally store 500,000 pages of historical documents present in the Punjab Archives.

A student Shehla Abbasi while appreciating the project said, “It was really difficult for us to access the archives because a huge line of permissions was required. Now it will be easier for me to get the required documents online. It is an excellent idea and I appreciate the government for this step as it will benefit the students”.

An official from the PITB informed that the portal would keep the documents and material safe and reduce the need for relocating the fragile original documents. Moreover, the scanned documents will be available in high-resolution images in an uncompressed format online.

He further added that the portal contains the digitized information about societal norms, caste and lineal descent information, data about how the municipal and urban policies were formed, land settlement and much more. The digitization process will not only preserve our heritage but also make it easier for the public to access it. The data will also be linked with places like Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia.

PITB spokesperson said, “The portal will significantly improve our understanding of the society around us. Such portals are available worldwide but it was lacking here in Pakistan. It was an uphill task and the teams have technically handled the project”.

If you want to access the historical data shared in the web portal you can do find it through here.