KARACHI, Jan 6: The federal archeology department has rejected the report submitted by its “experts” regarding the two Buddha statues caught by the customs department on Dec 19.

A fresh inquiry into the matter is now set to take place.

According to well-placed sources, the department has ordered a re-examination of the statues, said to be “Gandhara objects”, by a two-member team, which must include at least “one expert on the subject”.

These Buddha statues were being sent to China by mail, but were caught by the customs staff in Karachi. The archeology department was then approached to ascertain whether the statues were genuine antiques or not and whether they could be legally sent out of the country.

The Antiquities Act 1975 bans the movement of antiques as well as replicas within and out of the country.

The sources said that one of the two “experts” sent earlier was the museum’s curator, Mohammad Shah Bokhari, who is a scholar of the Arabic language and manuscripts, while the other member, Mr Waseem, is a photo printer in the department.

In their report, these “experts” had not mentioned whether the statues were antiques or replicas. Even the material of the statues was not mentioned in the report submitted to the archeology department’s director general, said the sources.

The department rejected the report, and in its Dec 31 directive to National Museum superintendent, Shamsuddin Jatoi, it has ordered him to have the Buddha statues re-examined.

The department’s letter on the subject, titled “seizure of objects at international mail office”, addressed to Mr Jatoi, says that the “examination report does not contain information regarding whether the objects in question detained by customs Karachi are genuine or otherwise.

“As such it is requested that the material in question may please be re-examined by Superintendent National Museum Karachi along with expert in the subject and the examination report may please be furnished to this office for taking further necessary action.”

Responding to Dawn’s queries, the Director-Generel of the Archeology Department, Dr Fazaldad Kakar, confirmed that the earlier examination report did not contain vital information on the statues, including their “age” as well as their status as antiques, fakes or replicas.

The report also omitted to mention what material the statues were made from. Dr Kakar conceded that Mr Bokhari, a member of the “expert” committee, was a scholar of Arabic and Arabic manuscripts. He said, however, that Mr Bokhari had much experience and had been working for the department for several decades. The other person, Mr Waseem, was a photographer, and not technically trained.

He said that he had made it clear in the latest directive calling for fresh examination of the statues that one of the committee members should be an expert in the subject (the Ghandhara era, in this case), and the other member would be the National Museum superintendent Shamsuddin Jatoi. He had not yet received the re-examination report and it was expected in a day or two, added Mr Kakar.

National Museum curator Mr Bokhari in his – now rejected - examination report on the subject “referred to a letter No DC/92/2008/JIAP, dated Dec 19, 2008” had said that “the undersigned along with Mr Waseem, photo printer, department of Archeology and Museum visited the office of additional collector of customs, Air Freight Unit, FIAP, MCC (preventive), Karachi on December 20, 2008 and checked the detained statues in parcel bearing EMS No EE001501272 PK destined for China.

“The said consignment was opened in the presence of Mr Ali Zeb Khan, Assistant Collector, Model Custom Collector (Preventive). After carefully and thoroughly checking and examination of the said confiscated material it was found that the objects in question are considered to be Ghandhara objects dating from 2nd to 5th Century AD and come under the purview of Antiquities Act, 1975.”