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