Pajhwok 03/18/2010By Ahmad Shah Saber [Printer Friendly Version] ZARANJ - Border police captured a man allegedly smuggling 165 kilogrammes of ancient jewelries out of the country at the Pul-i-Abresham border crossing in western province of Nimroz, bordering Iran. Commander of the 9th brigade border police, Col. Abdul Naseer Ayar, told Pajhwok Afghan News the man identified as Mohammad, resident of Mazar-i-Sharif, provincial capital of Balkh, was detained late Saturday evening. He tried to smuggle the ancient jewelry across the border into Iran. The jewelry made a century before included necklaces, bracelets, rings and others in which silver, emerald and lazuli lapis had been used, Ayar said. The official added they would hand over the seized jewelry to the Directorate of Information and Culture Affairs soon. The detainee, Mohammad, said he bought the jewelries from people in Maza-i-Sharif and wanted to sell them in his jewelry shop in Tehran, the capital of Iran. Under article 9 of the Constitution, underground resources including mines and gold and others are the property of the state. Head of the Archaeology Institute at the Ministry of Information and Culture Affairs Mohammad Nadar Rasuli says the jewelries and other things having artistic values and more than a century of age were part of heritages and properties of the state.
