NEWYORK: The United States has returned $23 million worth of smuggled artifacts to Pakistan. These artifacts are part of Pakistan’s Gandhara and Indus Valley civilizations.
United States’s government has returned illegally smuggled artifacts from Pakistan’s thousands of years old civilization to Pakistan.
These artifacts were recovered from an international smuggling network.
The Consulate General of Pakistan in New York and Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, in collaboration with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, organized an exhibition of Pakistan’s Gandhara civilization and Buddhist heritage.
The exhibition included 40 rare Gandhara civilization and Indus Valley artifacts.
Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Asim Iftikhar, said that it is a fact that the Gandhara civilization has an impact on different regions of the world and the importance of peace and dialogue is highlighted in the Gandhara civilization.
Pakistan’s Consul General in New York, Aamir Ahmad Atuzai, expressed gratitude for the recovery of the smuggled antiquities and said that these antiquities are our important cultural heritage.
Manhattan assistant district attorney Matthew Bogdanos said that he is very happy about the return of Pakistan’s historical and cultural heritage and valuable antiquities. We have recovered millions of dollars worth of antiquities from smugglers so far, he said.
At the cultural exhibition, Pakistan’s Deputy Consul General Omar Sheikh gave a briefing on Pakistan’s culture, heritage and various civilizations and said that the Gandhara civilization is an important asset of Pakistan.
A documentary based on different civilizations was also shown on this occasion. People from Pakistani and other communities also participated in the exhibition in large numbers to see the artifacts.
