THE return of 513 smuggled archaeological artefacts from the US is a welcome homecoming for objects that should never have left Pakistan. That most belong to the Gandhara civilisation makes the recovery especially significant, given the region’s importance as a crossroads of Buddhist, Greek and Central Asian influences. Yet, the uncomfortable question remains: how were these treasures allowed to disappear in the first place? Repatriation, however valuable, is only the final piece of a puzzle that began with theft, weak........

© Dawn