Islamabad: Pakistan received seven ancient treasures recovered by Italian authorities after the artefacts arrived in the capital following completion of procedural requirements, the Pakistani embassy said.
The antiquities were recovered by Italy’s Guardia di Finanza. They were earlier handed over to the Consulate General of Pakistan in Milan in April, according to the embassy.
The embassy said the latest transfer reflected continued Pakistan-Italy cooperation in archaeology. It also showed efforts in cultural heritage protection, documentation and recovery of trafficked cultural property.
The repatriation followed an earlier transfer of 90 antiquities in October 2025. Those items had been confiscated in 2007 by Italy’s Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture.
The embassy thanked the Carabinieri Command, Guardia di Finanza and the Ministry of Culture’s Office of Export Licensing for their role in the recovery and return of the artefacts.
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Pakistan and Italy have longstanding archaeological ties, including the Italian Archaeological Mission in Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This mission was established in 1955 under Professor Giuseppe Tucci. Pakistan awarded Tucci the Hilal-e-Imtiaz in 1959.
The embassy said that Italian archaeologists, Professor Luca Maria Olivieri and Professor Valeria Piacentini, were later honoured with the Sitara-e-Imtiaz in 2016. Additionally, they received the Tamgha-e-Pakistan in 2025.
Pakistan cited Mehrgarh in Balochistan, Mohenjo-Daro in Sindh, Harappa in Punjab and Gandhara Buddhist heritage in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as part of the country’s ancient cultural record.
