The US has returned an ancient Buddhist stone sculpture to Pakistan, from where it was stolen in the 1980s.
The
2nd Century piece, depicting Buddha's footprints alongside religious
symbols, was taken from the Swat Valley and eventually smuggled into the
US.A Japanese antiques dealer who brought it to the US from Tokyo pleaded guilty to possessing stolen property in April.
The sculpture was expected to reach $1m (£700,000) at auction, but the sale was intercepted by New York authorities.
New York prosecutors returned the sculpture to Pakistan's Deputy Chief of Mission Rizwan Saeed Sheikh at a ceremony on Wednesday.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R Vance Jr said the piece was "so much more than a piece of property".
"It's an ancient piece that speaks to the history and culture of Pakistan that should be celebrated and protected,"
No comments:
Post a Comment