A Pakistani court has accepted a petition seeking direction to the government to bring back the Koh-i-Noor diamond from the United Kingdom, reported PTI. The plea, filed by Barrister Javed Iqbal Jaffry, made the country's claim over the 105-carat gem on the basis that it hailed from the territory that became Pakistan in 1947. Jaffry argued that Britain “forcibly and under duress” stole the diamond from Daleep Singh, grandson of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh. The diamond then became part of the crown of incumbent British Queen Elizabeth-II at the time of her ascension to the throne in 1953.

The Lahore High Court overruled the court’s registrar office's objection to the petition, which has named the Queen and the British High Commission in Pakistan as respondents in the case. In December last year, the registrar office’s had dismissed the plea, saying it is non-maintainable and the court had no jurisdiction to hear the case against the British Queen. The petitioner then filed a fresh application in the High Court, pleading that in Britain the Queen is the respondent in every case.

The Koh-i-Noor is now one of the Crown Jewels on display at the Tower of London. India has also made repeated claims for the diamond , saying it is an integral part of the country’s history and culture.