[MSN] US returns Gandharan artefacts to Pakistan

[Museum Security Network Mailinglist]

US returns Gandharan artefacts to Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Priceless Gandharan artefacts have been returned to Pakistan on Thursday by the US government at a simple ceremony held at the Islamabad museum, Sir Syed Memorial building.

US Ambassador Ryan C Crocker while handing over the artefacts at the ceremony said, “The return of priceless Gandharan artefacts represents a very significant example of the importance of cooperation between Pakistan and the United States.”

Federal Minister for Culture Dr Sayed Ghazi Gulab Jamal received the repatriated artefacts.

The US ambassador said: “It is a sign of maturity, respect and cooperation in our law-enforcement relationship.”

He said the return of the artefacts is an important sign of true respect for the profound cultural heritage of Pakistan.

Among the 39 repatriated artefacts were Buddhist statues, a rare cup from the second century before the Common Era and a number of sculptures, including a starving Buddha.

Gandhara, one of the foundation stones of Pakistan’s historical and cultural heritage, was a centre of art of enlightened thought and learning from the second century before the Common Era to the fifth century of the Common Era.

The American ambassador said, “Like modern Pakistan, Gandhara was a cultural and economic crossroads of the region.”

He said the artefacts of Gandhara are celebrated in many of the world’s leading museums of Asian art, just as they are celebrated in the leading museums of Pakistan, including those in Peshawar, Lahore, and Islamabad.

Ambassador Crocker said that the artefacts displayed here were shipped illegally from Pakistan to an international black market in cultural artefacts.

They were seized and recovered by agents of the United States Department of Homeland Security in the port of Newark, New Jersey in September, 2005.

Crocker said: “Pakistani and American experts worked together to verify that the items had been illegally excavated from sites in the northern part of Pakistan.”

He said under Pakistani law, it is illegal to export cultural antiquities without the expressed permission of the government of Pakistan.

The ambassador explained that the individual who was destined to receive the artefacts abandoned the items, and they remained in US federal custody while a senior agent of the Department of Homeland Security investigated these artefacts.

The Department of Homeland Security worked with various experts in the field of South Asian art and with staff from the US State Department.

Director-General of Archaeology & Museums Dr Fazal Dad Kakar, Culture Secretary Salim Gul Shaikh, Director of Antiquities Dr Mohamed Ashraf, Customs Intelligence Director-General Maj-Gen Fahim and a representative of the US Department of Homeland Security Keith C Ryan also attended the ceremony.

http://www.thenews.com.pk