A British professor of Archaeology at the University of Bradford, Robin Coningham has claimed that major archaeological sites in Pakistan and Iran were being plundered and their objects were being brought in London for sale.
"Ninety percent of the major archaeological sites in Pakistan and Iran have been looted and the spoils are flooding into London", claimed a leading British daily on Monday.
Professor Coningham after his six year survey of the major archaeological sites in Pakistan and Iran was quoted as saying, "Although the illegal destruction occurs abroad, much of the looted material is channelled here to Britain and is sold in London. The best material is coming to London."
His research found that, "Iran is being plundered of treasures dating from 3,000BC to 500AD, and Pakistan is being robbed of antiquities created between 500BC and 400AD," claimed the British daily 'The Times.'
"Are we really happy to do nothing as the cultural heritage of the developing world is asset-stripped while we serve as a market stall for objects of dubious provenance?" Professor Coningham asked.
Once the antiquities were in Britain, anyone selling them was operating within British law. Anyone could buy an object legally through an auction house or dealer, as long as they showed due diligence, said the paper.
Professor Coningham conducted the surveying in collaboration with the universities of Peshawar and Tehran, and with the backing of the Royal Geographical Society, the British Institute of Persian Studies and the British Academy, said the daily.
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