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.
Mr Sheikh said it was "an important element of the cultural history
of Pakistan", and would likely be kept in New York for the short term
and possibly put on display.
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," he told the Associated Press.
Antiquities
dealer Tatsuzo Kaku had said he was in part motivated by a desire to
protect Pakistan's artefacts, but this was dismissed by other experts,
who said there were good structures in place in Pakistan for doing this.
Kaku paid a $5,000 fine and a sentence of time-served and left the country voluntarily.
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