In a ceremony held at the Manhattan District Attorney’s office in New York on Tuesday, the United States (US) repatriated 133 stolen antiquities to Pakistan, valued at over $13 million. These artifacts, dating back to the Gandhara period, were returned to Pakistan in the fifth such transfer.
Aamer Ahmed Atozai, the Consul General in New York, received the artifacts on behalf of the Government of Pakistan and expressed gratitude to the District Attorney’s office, its Antiquities Trafficking Unit, and the Department of Homeland Security for their efforts in recovering these stolen cultural treasures.
Some of the recovered antiquities were showcased during the ceremony, with Consul General Atozai stating that these pieces would be displayed in museums across Pakistan. An agreement for the repatriation of the returned artifacts was signed between the consul general and Assistant District Attorney Matthew Bogdanos, who heads the Antiquities Trafficking Unit.
Bogdanos expressed delight in returning these “glorious pieces of Pakistani heritage” to a civilization with a history spanning 5,000 years.
This repatriation follows a similar event earlier in 2022 when the US returned 192 stolen antiquities, valued at nearly $3.4 million, to Pakistan after an investigation into Indian-American art dealer Subhash Kapoor, as announced by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office in New York.
