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LAHORE: The Punjab government on Tuesday told the Lahore High Court that Koh-i-Noor was shifted to the United Kingdom following an agreement between Raja Ranjit Singh and the East India Company in 1849.
This was stated by a law officer of the government during hearing of a petition filed by a senior lawyer for bringing the Koh-i-Noor back to Pakistan from the UK.
The agreement was named “Treaty of Lahore”, the officer said and added the diamond could not be brought back.
Related: Bhutto approached UK over Kohinoor: documents
Petitioner Barrister Javed Iqbal Jaffrey opposed the government’s contention and said an agreement had to be reached between two governments and the East India Company was not authorised to sign such an agreement.
Justice Khalid Mahmood Khan adjourned hearing till May 2 and directed the government’s counsel to submit a copy of the agreement between Ranjit Singh and the East India Company.
Barrister Jaffrey contended in the petition that the British rulers had snatched Koh-i-Noor from Daleep Singh, grandson of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and took it to the UK. He said the diamond became part of the crown of the incumbent Queen Elizabeth-II at the time of her crowing in 1953.
He pleaded that Queen Elizabeth had no right on Koh-i-Noor as it was a cultural heritage of Punjab province and its citizens owned it, in fact.
Also Read: Diamonds aren’t forever
He asked the court to direct the government, being a member of the Commonwealth countries, to bring the diamond back to Pakistan.
Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2016
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Comments (27) Closed
Apr 27, 2016 07:54am
let it go, give importance to pakistan internal issues, poverty, terror, radicalisations, etc, then think of bringing it back.
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Apr 27, 2016 08:19am
This is confusing.Why would Ranjit Singh the powerful ruler give his most prized possession.
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Apr 27, 2016 08:37am
i just love how similar are india and pakistan even in governance, protests and judicially.
Now this same was done by India and i would not be surprised if it jointly asked for like the basmati co-operation.
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Apr 27, 2016 08:40am
Why only Kohinoor? Britain has taken many things from wherever they ruled. Better they are kept in the UK museums. If returned they will disappear forever.
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Apr 27, 2016 08:46am
Interesting to see both India and Pakistan governments' having same opinion that it can not be brought back...and people on both sides having same opinion that it should be brought back....
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Apr 27, 2016 08:49am
The real face will come more clear and time will tell how they looted the subcontinent. Now fight against terrorism is the new form of looting the natural resources rich countries.
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Apr 27, 2016 08:51am
If Kohinoor was given by way of agreement,than forget it. Even if Kohinoor remains in Pakistan or India,it could have been easily replaced by replica Zarqoon covertly by the kings of Corrupts found in Sub-Continent,and people would have forgotton about Kohinoor.Atleast now it is well secured.
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Apr 27, 2016 08:58am
Kohinoor is cursed , it needs to reach back its original place, the temple in orissa
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Apr 27, 2016 09:06am
It belonged to the temple in Andhra, in south India. It was never was property of ranjit Singh or people of india Pakistan or the whole sub continent.
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Apr 27, 2016 09:14am
India and Pakistan are wrong wasting Time and Money behind kohinoor.
Our courts has millions of cases pending and courts should work to finish those cases first
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Apr 27, 2016 09:14am
The real face will come clearer and time will tell how they looted the subcontinent. Now fight against terrorism is the new form of looting the natural resources rich countries.
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Apr 27, 2016 09:46am
@Kamal Pasha. Many things they have given to us, if they didnt we have disappeared forever. For instance, we could not have done yet double track to Quetta that they have put in their times.
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Apr 27, 2016 09:47am
@Aman It should be thrown into sea, just a solution for everything.
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Apr 27, 2016 09:50am
where is the agreement, present it
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Apr 27, 2016 09:54am
who knows the agreement was signed with barrel of gun pointed on Ranjit Singh head leaving him with no option but to sign !
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Apr 27, 2016 10:02am
Entire waste of time discussing this.
Kohinoor will never be returned and is best kept safely in Britain
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Apr 27, 2016 10:02am
Britain will never return Kohinoor, India and Pakistan are just beating the bush.
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Apr 27, 2016 10:03am
amazes me... we cannot solve the legal problems within our own country, especially if they are related to our government. wonder how on earth we will tackle this while it is in UK... we can't even get some of the people extradite from their... Justice in the life and conduct of the State is possible only as first it resides in the hearts and souls of its own the citizens.
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Apr 27, 2016 11:01am
This isn't the first time some one tried to get the diamond back. British govt already denied on the grounds that Kohnoor doesn't exist anymore. It was long ago being cut and its shape changed. So no Kohnoor no claim.
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Apr 27, 2016 11:11am
I don't think it ever made a lot of difference to India's economy not having the Kohinoor. How much would it be worth, say in today's money - £1.0 bn? Distribute that among the whole population, it would only a buy just one meal per person. So what is the big deal?
Now let us talk about the billions upon billions of dollars stashed away by Indians and Pakistani's in Swiss Banks? And let us also not forget the huge stock of gold piles hidden in a holy place (mandir) in India which was recently revealed comprising a huge chunk of the gold inventory of India. Isn't that milking of the wealth by its own people?
The British rule wealth sharing was a two-way traffic, without a doubt. In return they gave us something back. Many universities, the railway network, industries which run successfully to this day were established by them.
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Apr 27, 2016 11:27am
@aamir they didn't lay the tracks for you meaning common people but laid it for themselves.
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Apr 27, 2016 11:29am
@Kamal Pasha. first drop
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Apr 27, 2016 11:37am
From Wikipedia: "The Treaty of Lahore of 9 March 1846, was a peace treaty marking the end of the First Anglo-Sikh War. The Treaty was concluded, for the British, by the Governor-General Sir Henry Hardinge and two officers of the East India Company and, for the Sikhs, by the seven-year-old Maharaja Duleep Singh Bahadur and seven members of the Lahore Durbar acting on his behalf." Therefore, the treaty was signed by a seven year, not Ranjit Singh, Duleep Singh Bahadur. This treaty can be considered invalid as it was signed under coercion by a minor.
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Apr 27, 2016 11:41am
Sir, Different people and different countries say different things about Kohinoor diamond. No solutions like other issues, only debate. Sincerely, Baldev Singh
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Apr 27, 2016 12:04pm
Better it stays in Britain. More people get to see it there
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Apr 27, 2016 12:15pm
Might is right, especially in the 21st century. Lahore will never get Koh-i-Noor back as things stands right now - but Pakistan should not let this claim die out.
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Apr 27, 2016 09:56pm
What's all this hoopalah about a stone for the country faces more urgent problems like poverty hunger,corruption and terrorism even if we get the stone it will probably be sold stolen or end up in some Swiss or Panamanian bank vault at least it's safe where it is for the world to view and marvel. Stop living in cloud cuckoo land and wake up and smell the coffee.
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