Ancient Buddhist sculpture returned to Pakistani government after being smuggled to US
A Japanese antiquities dealer pleaded guilty last month to criminal possession of stolen property.
An ancient stone sculpture of Buddha’s footprints that was smuggled into the United States and had been expected to sell for more than US$1 million was returned to the government of Pakistan on Wednesday.
The piece, called a Buddhapada, was taken from a Pakistani region rich in Buddhist history decades ago. It was returned by New York prosecutors to Pakistani Deputy Chief of Mission Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, who said it will remain in the city for the time being and may be exhibited at a museum.
Sheikh said the Buddhapada, weighing nearly 500 pounds, was “an important element of the cultural history of Pakistan” and he was relieved to have it returned.
A Japanese antiquities dealer pleaded guilty last month to criminal possession of stolen property in a scheme to smuggle it into the US.
Tatsuzo Kaku made the plea in exchange for a US$5,000 fine and a sentence of time served and left the country voluntarily. He said he shipped the second-century Buddhapada from Tokyo to New York to sell it at a gallery, where it was expected to fetch US$1.1 million.
It’s an ancient piece that speaks to the history and culture of Pakistan
He said he knew it had been excavated and removed from the Swat River valley, a mountainous region of northern Pakistan, in 1982. He said in court that, while he stood to benefit financially, he also was motivated by a lifelong desire to preserve such works for fear they would fall into disrepair or be destroyed if they remained in Pakistan.