Millionaires unveil Pakistan’s artefact smuggling secrets
A visitor takes photographs on his mobile of seized ancient statues at a museum in Karachi. – Photo by AFP
CHARSADDA: When a family dispute over land degenerated into cold-blooded murder, Zaman Khan was quickly in over his head.
As cousins killed cousins, he borrowed more than 18,500 dollars to buy guns, ammunition and guards. But soon debtors were demanding repayment, leaving him so depressed he contemplated suicide.
Then a friend came up with an idea.
He took Khan to a site in northwest Pakistan which dates back to the ancient Gandhara civilisation where they dug up 18 pieces of statue, selling them to market traders for two million rupees.
After two more visits, Khan – AFP has changed the names of all those involved in the trade – had found enough statues, coins and ornaments to not only settle his debts but also bankroll his long-running feud.
Thirty years on, he presides over a lucrative trade in illegally excavated treasures, smuggled to Thailand, Europe and America as part of Pakistan’s sophisticated but underworld business in archaeological remains.
“I can fight against my enemies and my friends’ enemies now. I’ve earned millions of rupees from this business,” he said, sitting next to a dozen automatic weapons in Charsadda, 130 kilometres from Islamabad.
Pakistan is home to two ancient civilisations, the Indus, which dates back to between 2500 and 1700 BC, and the Gandhara, from 530 BC to 1021 AD. It is the Gandhara artefacts that are most highly prized.
Statues of the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, who was born in Nepal in the 6th century BC and whose teachings grew into a major religion, can fetch thousands of dollars across the world.
“Whenever I’m on a digging mission, I pay 10,000 rupees to the relevant police station as a bribe in advance and 1,000 rupees a day while the work continues,” said Khan.
He sells the artefacts to dealers in Peshawar.
“Then they sell them to dealers in Islamabad and other cities who then export them to Thailand,” he said.
“To smuggle it from Peshawar to Islamabad, they use ladies, who aren’t usually checked by police at the security posts.”
– ‘Each Buddha sells for $20,000’ –
Smuggler Raja Javed has customers in Peshawar, Thailand and Japan.
“I’ve been doing this business for the last 20 years. I have sold hundreds of art pieces worth millions of rupees,” he told AFP at his plush villa, just metres from the museum in the Gandharan city of Taxila.
Spread over almost an acre, the grounds of his home include lawns and guest houses, while the main residential building has the kind of huge dome usually found on tombs of Mughal kings and sufi saints.
“At a minimum I’ve sold 20 big Buddha statues (weighing 40 to 80 kilograms). Each piece sold for around 20,000 dollars,” said Javed.
He does not believe what he does should be treated as a crime, but that the government should buy artefacts at market value.
The law forbids anyone from moving or selling any archaeological artefacts – statues, gold coins, jewellery or utensils – even if they are unearthed on their own property.
“They are the property of the government,” said Mehmoodul Hassan, a senior official of the archaeology department.
“Anybody who moves or sells an artefact can face imprisonment of up to five years, or a fine of 500,000 rupees ($5,300) or both.”But in the smuggling business, it is all about who you know.
In Peshawar jewellery market, a hub for Afghan and Pakistani dealers, Javed and Khan’s main contact said: “One piece can cost up to $10 million, it depends on the quality, state and history of the particular piece.
“I can arrange dozens of precious originals and copies for you, but transportation is hard,” he told an AFP reporter who posed as a buyer wanting Buddha statues for London.
Fakes and replicas are another aspect of the trade.
In Taxila, which continues to attract foreign visitors despite the terror threat in Pakistan, one sculptor chisels Buddha statues from new stone and paints them in mud to make them look ancient.
“I can provide you copies and replicas of any statue you want” he said, showing off his handiwork. “I am an expert at making fasting Buddha and the goddess.”
– The ‘king’ of antiques smuggling –
Customs officials say they have cracked down on the smugglers.
“The whole system is computerised now and the chances of corruption are rare,” said Riffat Shaheen Qazi, a customs spokeswoman.
“Some individuals might be involved in smuggling artefacts but we’re trying to curb this menace.” But an interviewee for this article suggested the names of two people in Islamabad with a gallery in Thailand who could help transport artefacts abroad.
One of them lives in a fort-style farmhouse in the mountains between Islamabad and the summer hill resort of Murree.
Sporting a beard, and wearing a blue kurta with baggy white trousers and a yellow necklace, the man said his activities had become harder to carry out, but by no means impossible. “I smuggled antiques in my hand luggage while boarding a flight. But it has become much more difficult now. In the past, we sent a lot of huge items abroad, but now everything is scanned.”
Even so, he added: “If you want to buy anything, contact my son in Bangkok. We also have a person in London, he can serve you there, but don’t try to make a deal over here in Pakistan.” Otherwise, he suggested Afghan smugglers might be able to help. “It has been four decades now,” he said. “I am a pioneer of this business, I am king.”
I know myself dozens of archealogical sites in Mardan. I guess there are hundreds of them and I can see people digging there with mine detectors. In fact every small village has a dozen of people working only to scavenge such sites. Once I asked the dealer how did they smuggle it out. He said that they get a certificate from archeological deptt that the artifacts are not real but replicas and thus they can pass it through security. The govt is involved in corruption with this mafia. And there are hundreds of sites in KP which needs to be digged and guarded by the govt. The only diggeres are smugglers for now.
Pakistani smugglers are selling Mohanjodaro and other artifacts in the United Kingdom.My friend bought couple of them.They are valued all over the world and has immense positive energy.I would love to buy ancient statues.The Arabs stole the gold,silver ones,melted it and took them to their land but for me even a stone statue of the great Vishnu avtar Buddha is valuable.
Why do you think the government does not take any interest in this?
Pakistan is not alone in this problem.
Despite what our neighbours try to suggest, artifacts are smuggled from everyplace. Egypt, Cambodia, China, Thailand all suffer this scourge.
The fact that it ALSO occurs in Pakistan is a poor reason for Indians to be so damning of our heritage and religion. Do they think the Indian artifacts in the world's museums were all purchased from reputable dealers? No, even their beloved India is being plundered by smugglers. But if you say anything about them, they say "Be quiet Pakistanis, mind your own business!" But if the same thing happens in Pakistan, they say "Look how intolerant and what a mess your country is!" No, my Indian neighbors, this act of smuggling isn't confined to Pakistan – ask how your chola bronzes ended up spread across the world. And if these crooks are "preserving" the statues, then thank the British for plundering India and preserving its treasures in Western museums. Stop complaining about all those stolen artifacts!
It all falls back on the self belief if a citizen is able to define his/her future by their own hard work. If there is no light in sight, there is no patriotism or the concept of doing the right thing. Number one priority is to feed your self. This goes for all the institutions and people involved in the value of chain of this trade. From the excavators, to police, and to the smugglers. If we can only understand the power of our vote and bring in the right leaders and vote out the wrong ones.
Harappa, gandhara, Buddhism are not Pakistan's history. Pakistan's history starts with the Islamic invaders. And we are culturally close to Arabs and our ummah even though our ancestors were infidel hindus. Still we could preserve this art as our eastern neighbors history just as turkey preserves Greek and roman history even though they have nothing to do with it.
I don't see how this stuff is connected with our country though, any more than Turks can take pride in the Greek poet Homer who lived in modern day turkey but clearly Greek (actually Turks hate Greeks tithe ore but don't destroy Greek historical sites on their land).
Haven't yu been to hudj yet?
Why doesn't the government protect this wealth for the country? Are they busy protecting their own wealth?
Please read Kuran carefully and show where it says hindus are not Kafir. Kafir is people of the non-book; non abrahamic religion; Hindus are kafir/infadel. Christians/Jew are lesser believers thus also refered to Kafirs/infadels. All pagan statues are to be destroyed to clense the lands pure. It has happened from the start of the islamic history starting Saudi Arabia. Hinduism don't preach violence against atheists.
Holy Quran has said, Go look around the earth and learn lessons what we have done to transgressors. Unfortuynately our heritage department is filled wth many corrupt officials and less honest arcaheologists who does value national treasure. They value they belly and their banglows mkore than anything else. They don't know on the day of judgement their children will run away from them as they had filled their bellies with haram.