The tiles, confiscated by customs authorities at the Lahore airport last month on suspicion of alleged illegal export of antiquated items, had been sent to the department for its report.

After exhaustive studies, the department's northern circle told the customs department yesterday that the tiles were of `paramount archaeological interest and belong to the Islamic era'.

The confiscated tiles bear a strong affinity with the ones found in archaeological sites in Sindh province and other Islamic centres, the report said, describing the designs on the tiles as rare.

The antiquity trade control branch of the department examined the tiles and found a ``new combination of blue with white background'' on them, it said.

``The designs executed on these tiles are very fine, sober and a truereflection of Muslim culture and export of such antiques without legal licence is a crime,'' the report said.

Terming the planned export of these tiles a `plunder of cultural heritage', the report said ``export of antiquities without legal license from the department of archaeology is a crime and clear violation of the antiquities act.''

Customs authorities had confiscated 23 wooden boxes containing 397 tiles on December 8 booked by Jemima in the name of her mother, Annabel Goldsmith, in Surrey, England.

The consignment had been declared as gift items, with no commercial value and the value of each tile had been put at rupees three.

Authorities at that time had been quoted by media assaying that if antiquity of the tiles are proven then Jemima could be charged under the Antiques Act and Customs Act, under which a person convicted is liable for three years in jail.

But Imran had dismissed the allegations shortly afterwards saying the tiles had been bought from an Iranian shop in Islamabad with allrelevant documents.

Imran had also alleged that customs authorities had seized the tiles just to please the Nawaz Sharif government due to political rivalry between him and Sharif.

His political party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf, had also termed the move as `political victimisation'. Imran launched his political career just before the February polls last year but failed to make any impact.