Srinagar, April 21 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, the Archive, Archaeology department has held Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) responsible for plundering artefacts in the past 18 years and demanded a probe into the “loot” carried by the ASI. 

 
A top official of the archaeological department in an interview to a local daily ‘Rising Kashmir’ said, “The ASI has been unearthing sites in the Valley and robbing whatever they could lay their hands on. The puppet administration should order a probe to find out how Kashmir Valley has been looted since 1990.” He pointed out that the ASI has decorated the Museums at Delhi, Kolkatta and other cities at the cost of Heritage sites of the occupied territory.

“Most of the artifacts that were excavated and taken away during the recent past are pottery, fabric, long necked jars, well-polished bone and stone tools, copper stupas containing reliquary, copper coins, beads, gamesman, copper and iron objects,” the official said, adding, “ Besides, remains of metal smith’s workshop iron slags, iron implements and other associated material was also recovered from 41 different sites of occupied Kashmir since 1990 and all these things are in total control of ASI.”

The official maintained that 5000 years old archaeological assets discovered here were taken to Kolkatta 30 years ago and till date these assets continue to be there. 

The Deputy Director of the Archives Archaeology and Museums, M S Zahid said that the plunder of these artefacts is an open secret adding that official negligence has ruined the heritage sites of the Valley. “ASI should hand over these precious sites to State Government,” Zahid demanded. He revealed that some of the well-known sites under the control of ASI were Harwan, Parimahal, Pathar Masjid, Mulla Akhoon Masjid, Budshah tomb and Haji Peer Muhammad at Saraf Kadal.