The celebration commemorated the fifth such transfer of these priceless artifacts—which date back to the Gandhara period—to Pakistan.
The artifacts were received by Aamer Ahmed Atozai, Consul General in New York, on behalf of the Government of Pakistan. He thanked the Department of Homeland Security, the District Attorney’s office, and its Antiquities Trafficking Unit for their efforts in recovering the stolen cultural treasures of Pakistan.
Consul General Atozai stated that some of the retrieved antiques were on display during the event and will be placed in museums all around Pakistan.
The assistant district attorney in Manhattan, Matthew Bogdanos, who oversees the Antiquities Trafficking Unit, and the consul general also inked a deal for the return of the retrieved antiquities to Pakistan.
Returning these “glorious pieces of Pakistani heritage” to Pakistan, a country with a 5,000-year-old civilization, made Bogdanos very happy.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office in New York revealed earlier in 2022 that following an investigation into a well-known Indian-American art dealer named Subhash Kapoor, the United States (US) returned 192 stolen antiques, valued at around $3.4 million, to Pakistan.
