Seminary students, clerics visit Punjab cultural landmarks

MANSEHRA: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has taken seminary students and clerics to various landmarks in Punjab under its “Learning for empathy’ initiative.

“The project aims to create enabling environment for educational professionals, particularly those from seminaries to revisit their teaching practises,” Sadia Bangash, the National Project Officer of UNESCO, told reporters. She said 30 students and teachers of a seminary, Darul Uloom Usmania, and the Government Higher Secondary School Kafoor Dheri in Peshawar were taken to Lahore for a two days visit under the knowledge exchange tour to historic and cultural sites. “Doing so we also create inter-faith harmony between students and teachers of the two federating units, Punjab and KP,” said Sadia Bangash. She said “Learning for empathy”, a pilot programme, was being executed as a regional initiative in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia to anchor in UNESCO’s vision of peace and in line with the sustainable development goal. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Deputy Speaker Mehmood Jan accompanied the delegation during the tour which was wrapped recently. Those in the delegation visited the Sacred Heart Cathedral, Archbishop House, Gurudwara Dehra Sahib Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Badshahi Masjid and Lal Mandir. The KP Assembly deputy speaker and advisor to CM on religious affairs appreciated the efforts by UNESCO.