Controversial statue: Lawyers move court for return of ‘Dancing Girl’

Petitioners maintain the statuette is property of Sindh and its people

KARACHI: As India insists on ownership of the famous bronze statue known as the 'Dancing Girl' of Moen Jo Daro, a Sindhi lawyers’ group approached the court seeking direction for Islamabad for its return from New Delhi.

A local group, the Sindh Lawyers' Movement, has filed a petition with the SHC, citing the federal ministry of information, broadcasting and national heritage, federal archaeology department director-general, culture and heritage department provincial chief secretary and secretary as respondents.

The group's vice-chairperson Advocate Masood A Noorani, its general secretary, Advocate Abdul Wahab Baloch, and general secretary, Maula Bux Khatian, said in the petition they are aggrieved by the inactions of respondents in retrieving and getting back the world's famous and price-less Dancing Girl statuette from National Museum of New Dehli, India.

The petitioner maintained that the Dancing Girl is the property of Sindh and its people, adding that it was learnt two years back at the Sindh Festival that the provincial government was sending a request to Islamabad for asking India to return the famous statuette.

However, they said that unfortunately the case has been put on back burners and no practical step has been taken by Sindh government for its return. The petitioners maintained that if the statuette is not returned, the fundamental rights of petitioners and the people of Sindh will be contravened as envisaged in the Constitution.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 8^th, 2016.