The Directorate General of Archaeology, Punjab, has launched a major scientific programme, including fresh excavations at Harappa and other key sites such as Gandhara region, employing digital mapping, scientific dating, and modern documentation methods. The aim is to create a fuller picture of the Indus Valley Civilisation and set new standards for research-driven conservation.
This renewed emphasis on the past mirrors a previous era when Pakistan actively engaged on the global stage to defend its cultural heritage.
In the 1970s, Pakistan’s government instructed museum authorities and provincial archaeology departments to compile detailed inventories of artefacts that had been removed from regions that now form Pakistan.
This was a remarkable nationwide effort.
Curators, archaeologists, and administrators across all provinces contributed to building a record that would support Pakistan’s claims.
These were not casual lists but carefully prepared documents with provenance histories, aimed at strengthening Pakistan’s moral and legal position.
Yet, major museums in Britain and elsewhere argued that the artefacts were legally acquired under colonial law and now form part of their national collections.
Without a binding international legal framework, Pakistan and other claimant states could not enforce restitution.
The momentum waned, and the global conversation moved elsewhere.
