2 ancient statues seized in Zabul’s Shah Joi district

QALAT (Pajhwok): Two statues, dating back thousands of years, have been seized in southern Zabul province, an official said on Tuesday.

Maulvi Ismatullah Karamat, crime branch chief, told Pajhwok Afghan News the statues were recovered from a house in the Cheno area of Shah Joi district.

He said no arrests had been made in connection with the seizure of the sculptures, but an investigation was underway.

The statues were shifted to the provincial capital and handed over to the Information and Culture Department, he said, promising no one would be allowed to harm Afghanistan’s historic heritage.

Abdul Wali Basharmal, an official of the Information and Culture Department, hailed the security forces’ efforts to frustrate the smuggling of the statues.

“We appreciate Zabul police officials for handing us the statues,” said Karamat, who added signs on the statues indicated they were thousands of years old.

In order to determine their exact history, archaeologists needed to look at the sculptures closely, the official added.

According to him, these sculptures will be preserved at the state museum. He asked people to help protect the country’s historical monuments.

Sa