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Agreement signed to returned cultural antiquities of Pakistan

Between Consul General of Pakistan in New York & New York County District Attorney

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New York, 12 November 2022 (GNP/ TDI): The Consul General of Pakistan in New York, United States (US), Ayesha Ali, signed an agreement with Alvin Bragg, New York County District Attorney, for the return of stolen Pakistani artifacts.

In a tweet, the Consulate General of Pakistan in New York appreciated the special investigations team from Homeland Security Investigations for ensuring Pakistan’s ‘cultural antiquities were recovered from smuggling racketeers’ & returned to their region of origin.

Consul General of Pakistan in New York, Ayesha Ali, is signing an agreement with Alvin Bragg, New York County District Attorney, for the return of stolen Pakistani artifacts.
Consul General of Pakistan in New York, Ayesha Ali, is signing an agreement with Alvin Bragg, New York County District Attorney, for the return of stolen Pakistani artifacts. (picture is a screenshot from video)
Smuggling and Racketeering of cultural antiquities 

According to the United Nations (UN), the collective past of humanity includes cultural heritage. It is such a unique and important testimony to the evolution and identity of people that protecting it has been emphasized in numerous international instruments.

Organized criminal organizations are increasingly dealing in the trafficking of cultural property in open marketplaces like auctions and the Internet and in covert black markets.

TThe stolen Pakistani cultural artifacts.
The stolen Pakistani cultural artifacts.

Trafficking in cultural property is emerging as a significant source of funding for terrorist organizations as the proceeds of crime are increasingly being laundered.

Several behaviors involved in the trafficking of cultural property may eventually result in the loss, destruction, removal, or theft of irreplaceable objects.

The human race is denied access to historical data and artifacts from its shared heritage, while criminals profit handsomely from this illegal trade.

Group photo at the occasion.
Group photo at the occasion (picture is a screenshot from video).

For instance, many artifacts and monuments from earlier eras are still buried underground. Archaeologists cannot learn about the past when ancient artifacts are stolen, and the locations where they were hidden are destroyed by looting.

Even though significant looting is occurring worldwide, the efforts to combat the trafficking of cultural property have not yet been commensurate with the seriousness and scope of this criminal manifestation.

 

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