There is need to further explore sacred venues, monuments built during Gandara’s period: Dr. Ramesh Kumar Vankwani

ISLAMABAD, May 31 (SABAH): Chairman for Prime Minister Task Force on Gandhara Tourism, Dr. Ramesh Kumar Vankwani has said that there is need to further explore sacred venues and monuments built during Gandara’s period for promoting religious tourism in Pakistan.

Prime Minister’s Task Force organised a visit to the Buddha’s archaeological sites and caves in Shah Allah Ditta, D-12 here on Wednesday, participated by the Ambassadors of Thailand and Indonesia, diplomats, members of civil society and media persons.

Talking to the media persons, Dr. Ramesh Kumar Vankwani said, “Islamabad Capital Territory’s (ICT) history is as old as human history. Evidence of Hinduism and Buddhism religions exists in the federal capital.” He underlined the need to explore these sites to attract global tourists to the country, with an aim to generate revenue through religious tourism.

He further said that Pakistan was a place of a huge number of heritage sites, monuments and historic buildings which demonstrates the diverse layers of history of the region. The rich Gandhara heritage of Pakistan was a prominent phenomenon in across the world as Gandhara art is a great and major attraction for Buddhists, he added.

“Gandhara’s archaeological sites, like Takht-i-Bahi and Taxila are showcasing remarkable Buddhist artifacts, representing the region’s rich heritage,” he remarked. He said that Buddha’s caves located in Shah Allah Ditta were a source of respect for every belief no matter what religion people belong to. Every religious cleric had served masses and preached a lesson of moral ethics in the past. The incumbent government was making all-out efforts to promote Gandhara tourism in the country, Dr. Ramesh added.

Dr. Ramesh Kumar Vankwani said Buddha caves would again be a centre of religious interfaith harmony as people were coming from various parts of the country to these archaeological sites. “I will give my recommendations to Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif to promote the tourism industry,” he concluded.