Summary Kapur said the repatriated collection includes historically significant objects that were illegally removed from Pakistan.
ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) - The United States returned over 450 stolen cultural artifacts to Pakistan worth $23 million on Wednesday, the US embassy said in a statement, describing them as some of the earliest human-crafted representations that offer insights into some of the region’s first settled communities.
Artifacts are man-made objects, such as pieces of art or tools that are of particular cultural, historical, or archaeological interest.
The illegal antiquities trade is a multi-billion-dollar global industry according to a 2018 report by Standard Chartered Bank. The trade is also often a major funding source for criminal and militant groups on the supply side, according to a report by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).
“Today we celebrate the successful recovery and repatriation of more than 450 antiquities – collectively valued at more than $23 million – to the people of Pakistan,” US Assistant Secretary Paul Kapur said at an event held at Islamabad Museum to repatriate the artifacts.
Kapur said the repatriated collection includes historically significant objects that were illegally removed from Pakistan.
“Among these artifacts are terracotta figurines that are more than four thousand years old,” he said.
“These figurines are among the earliest human-crafted representations in the world and offer insights into some of the region’s first settled communities.”
The US embassy said in its separate statement that the recovery was made possible by the Antiquities Trafficking Unit of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, with assistance from the US Department of Homeland Security and Pakistani authorities.
The US embassy said Washington has recovered and repatriated to Pakistan 514 antiquities over the past decade.
“These items were seized through criminal investigations into international trafficking networks,” the embassy said.
The artifacts include a rare 2nd-century C.E. Buddhapada sculpture, valued at $1.1 million which was looted from Pakistan in the 1980s and trafficked into New York, the US embassy said.
Other significant recovered items include a Gandharan frieze depicting Buddhist figures, ancient Mehrgarh terracotta figurines dating back to 3500-2600 B.C.E., and a statue of the Bodhizattva Maitreya.
“The seizures also include a Gold Strato I coin from 105-85 B.C.E., recovered in 2023,” the embassy said.
It added that these recovery efforts have led to multiple convictions, highlighting the ongoing international cooperation to combat illicit antiquities trafficking.
“The repatriation underscores broader US-Pakistan collaboration in law enforcement, cultural preservation, and heritage protection,” the embassy concluded.
