THE rightful ownership of heritage and artefacts is always a contentious issue — and more so in places where there is history of colonialism or foreign domination. It is also a topic that has figured in the conversation of partitioned states when they have had to decide how to divide their archaeological heritage. However, the ownership of heritage can also come under discussion within countries themselves. As an example, consider the fact that the National Museum in Karachi until recently had in its possession thousands of artefacts that had been excavated from Balochistan, most of them between 2,000 and 6,000 years old. The ostensible reason was that Balochistan has no museum of a stature where these could be adequately displayed for the public to help promote the history, culture and traditions of the area.

It is, then, a positive step that over 20,000 artefacts were handed over to the Balochistan government by the Sindh authorities recently. These include pottery, seals and coins excavated in Balochistan, from archaeological sites in several parts of the province. One hopes that these will now see the light of day (many of them had reportedly been stored in the basement of the museum in Karachi) and become a source of both learning and revenue. A museum in Quetta is still under construction, and many of the items, for the time being, will be housed in a cultural complex on the premises of the province’s directorate of culture and tourism. Indeed, there is much to be showcased from this archaeologically rich province, and hopefully the Balochistan government will make further efforts in this direction. The challenges are numerous: for instances, work on the ancient site of Mehrgarh, one of the world’s oldest settlements, has stopped as a result of tribal hostilities that have seen a number of relics destroyed on the site. This is nothing short of vandalism. The earth must be allowed to yield up its treasures that have been hidden from the human eye for millennia.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2019