ISLAMABAD: A National Assembly committee was informed on Tuesday that 1,252 artefacts stolen from Pakistan had been recovered and brought back to the country over the past year.
The development was discussed during a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on National Heritage, chaired by Samar Haroon Bilour.
Briefing the committee, the Secretary of Lok Virsa Heritage Museum said all 1,252 recovered artefacts had been repatriated to Pakistan during the last 12 months. The items are currently being displayed at Sir Syed Memorial Hall.
The meeting also took up issues concerning the expansion and funding of Lok Virsa. The Federal Minister for Lok Virsa told members that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) had not allocated land for construction of a proposed museum.
MNA Syeda Jamshed, who represents the Takht-i-Bahi constituency, questioned officials about the $50,000 UNESCO grant received in 2025.
The Secretary explained that the funds were intended for provincial governments and had been transferred back to the respective provinces after being received by the department.
He further informed the committee that the department was facing serious financial constraints and did not have sufficient funds even to meet its salary obligations, leaving little or no funding available for initiating new projects.
