The Sindh Lawyers’ Movement (SLM) on Monday filed a constitutional petition in Sindh High Court (SHC) for recovery of ‘Dancing Girl’ of Moen-Jo-Daro’ from India.
The petition was filed by SLM General Secretary Abdul Wahab Baloch advocate and Vice-Chairman Moula Bux Khatian advocate through Masood Noorani, a senior advocate of Supreme Court.
The respondents in the petition are Federation of Pakistan through Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage, Islamabad, Archeology Department DG , Government of Pakistan, Islamabad; Sindh chief secretary and Department of Culture & Heritage secretary.
The petitioners have submitted that they were aggrieved by the inactions of respondents in retrieving/getting back the world’s famous and price-less bronze statuette generally known as ‘Dancing Girl’ from National Museum of New Dehli, India. The “Dancing Girl”, a bronze statuette, was dug out from “Moenjo Daro” in 1926 along with other fascinating artifact “King Priest” during excavation by archaeologist Earnest Mackey.
The above two relics were taken by Sir Mortimer Wheeler, the British archeologist to India in 1946 before partition for display at an exhibition. The “King Priest” and other relics have been recovered by Pakistani officials but the ”Dancing Girl” still remains in National Museum New Dehli, India.
They further submitted that the ‘Dancing Girl’ is the property of Sindh and its people. “It was learnt two years back at Sindh Festival that Sindh Government was sending a request to Islamabad for asking India to return the famous statuette of “Dancing Girl”.
It is learnt that in 1947, after the partition, the Pakistani authorities asked New Dehli to return two relics with several others including “Fasting Budha”. A Pakistani official had visited Dehli and succeeded in getting hold of the “King Priest” and “Fasting Budha” but the Indians refused to hand over Dark bronze statue of “Dancing Girl”.
Former Archeology Department DG Qasim Ali Qasim said that since the federal government was a signatory to UNESCO Convention, the Sindh government would have to ask Islamabad which would request to world body. He revealed in his recent interview to an English daily dated that Islamabad’s efforts in 2009 brought back 13 artifacts belonging to Gandhara civilization from several countries and same could be done for the ‘Dancing Girl’.
The petitioners pleaded that if the statuette was not returned, the fundamental rights of petitioners as well as the people of Sindh would be contravened as envisaged in the Constitution.
The court may also direct the respondents to take immediate necessary and appropriate steps for returning “Dancing Girl” from India by direct approach or through UNESCO or any other channel or agency, national or international and hand it over to Government of Sindh for display.
