1,252 stolen artefacts returned to Pakistan, NA committee confirmed

The National Assembly Standing Committee on National Heritage, chaired by Samar Haroon Bilour, discussed the recovery of 1,252 artefacts stolen from Pakistan at its meeting, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Tuesday.
Briefing the committee, the Secretary of Lok Virsa Heritage Museum said all 1,252 artefacts had been returned to Pakistan within the past year. The recovered artefacts have been put on display at Sir Syed Memorial Hall.
During the meeting, the Federal Minister for Lok Virsa said the Capital Development Authority (CDA) was not providing land to Lok Virsa for the construction of a museum.
MNA Syeda Jamshed, representing Takht-i-Bahi, enquired about the status of the $50,000 received from UNESCO in 2025, while the Secretary explained that the funds belonged to the provincial governments and were remitted back to them after being received by the department. He expressed that the department lacked even the funds required to pay employee salaries, leaving no financial resources for launching new projects.