In a ceremony held at Pakistan’s embassy in Paris, 445 artifacts were handed back to Pakistan on Tuesday, with an estimated value of $157,000.
France returned more than 400 stolen antiques to the government of Pakistan on the 2nd of July – including ancient vases, busts, urns and goblets. Some date back to the second and third millennia B.C.
Authorities claim that many of the pieces turned up in France in September 2006, addressed to a gallery in Paris.
The packages were seized by customs officers at Charles de Gaulle airport and identified by the National Center for Scientific Research as items looted from burial grounds in Pakistan’s Indus valley. Another consignment of pottery and terracotta has reportedly been also stopped from being transported to the foreign museums.
In a ceremony held at Pakistan’s embassy in Paris, 445 artifacts were handed back to Pakistan on Tuesday, with an estimated value of 139,000 Euros ($157,000).
“It is indeed a special moment for Pakistan,” claimed Muhammad Majad Aziz Qazi, the head of mission. “It is also an emotional moment for us. We believe, today, that a part of Pakistan’s heritage is coming back to its homeland.”Qazi assured measures were being taken to send the treasures back to Islamabad safely and as soon as possible.
French President Emmanuel Macron has made a point of seeking to return ancient artworks to regions where they originated.
