Faiza Tehseen

Pakistan is host to many Buddhist sites that must be preserved and turned into tourist hotspots to attract foreign visitors for giving a fillip to the country’s hospitality industry. This was emphasised by Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, chairman of the Gandhara Tourism Taskforce, which was formed recently to promote religious tourism in the country.

“Promotion of religious tourism can open new avenues of socioeconomic prosperity in Pakistan as millions of dollars can be earned from this segment. Historic Buddhist sites must be preserved and turned into tourist hotspots for both local and foreign visitors, including pilgrims and researchers,” he told WealthPK.  

Ramesh Kumar said the promotion of Buddhist tourism would increase the tourist flow in the country and present a soft image of Pakistan globally. “Preservation of Buddhist sacred places will help preserve the ancient heritage covering a golden era. Pakistan contains landmarks of different religions like Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, etc, that should be well-preserved.”

He said the northern parts of Pakistan were once the cradle of Gandhara civilisation rooted long in history. The Gandhara civilisation should not be considered limited to Buddhism only because during that period people of other religions were also enjoying religious freedom. “The Gandhara civilisation represents patience, brotherhood, and religious tolerance. Buddhist stupas and other religious landmarks exist right from the historic city of Taxila in Punjab to Swat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and up to Gilgit-Baltistan in the north.”

He said Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) had completed mapping 38 places belonging to the Gandhara period with Buddhist stupas also existing in the Sindh province. He said the Gandhara Task Force was tasked with presenting a proper roadmap on Buddhist tourism to the federal and provincial governments so that steps could be taken to promote tourism, particularly religious tourism. “Buddhists from Asian and Western countries are keen to visit the centuries-old Buddhist stupas here,” he said, adding that it is also important to promote rock art tourism (related to Buddha murals) along the Karakoram Highway.

Sharing his views about Buddhist tourism potential, Mukhtar Ali, Manager of Tourist Facilitation Centres of PTDC, said establishing the Gandhara Task Force is a good step toward promoting Buddhist tourism in the country. There are 11 countries, mostly in South Asia, where the dominant religion is Buddhism, and people of these countries should be attracted to Pakistan for boosting tourism. The hospitality industry stands to greatly benefit from upkeep of Buddhist sites. In this way, local communities will also be able to earn a sustainable source of living.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk