Govt plans to promote religious tourism

Islamabad: The government has worked out a plan to develop a Buddhist trail by exploring religious sites in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab to attract the followers of Buddhism religion from across the globe.

This was disclosed by Chairman of Pakistan Tourism Development Cooperation (PTDC) Sayed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari while talking to this agency. The trail would start from Swabi and Swat, and culminate at Taxila, which had numerous Buddhist sites, he informed and added that the initiative was being taken by the government as part of its plan to market religious tourism abroad. Likewise, sacred places of other religions, including Sikhism and Hinduism were also scattered all over Pakistan and the PTDC was planning to provide facilities there to attract their followers not only from across the country but also from abroad, Zulfikar Bukhari said who also holds the portfolio of Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development. Such initiatives, he said, would help translate the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan regarding religious tourism into a reality by showcasing non-Islamic heritage to the world. They would also project a soft pluralistic image of Pakistan internationally, he added. Zulfikar Bukhari also urged the foreign Buddhists to visit the country and help the government in preserving their cultural heritage.