Govt working to develop Buddhist trail: PTDC chairman

Initiative is being taken as part of government's plan to market religious tourism

The government is working to develop a Buddhist trail by exploring religious sites in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Punjab to attract followers of Buddhism and monks from across the world, Chairman Pakistan Tourism Development Cooperation (PTDC) Syed Zulfikar Bukhari said on Monday, reported Radio Pakistan.

Addressing Buddha’s birthday ceremony in Taxila, Bukhari said the initiative is being taken as part of the government's plan to market religious tourism.

He said the trail would start from Swabi and Swat and culminate at Taxila, which has numerous Buddhist sites.

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He added that sacred places of other religions, including Sikhism and Hinduism, are also scattered all over Pakistan and PTDC plans to provide facilities to attract followers, both from across Pakistan and from abroad.

Last month, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi highlighted the “significant potential” of tourism industry and urged the private sector to play its role in promoting tourism, describing Pakistan as the “most beautiful country of the region”.

Addressing the Pakistan Tourism Summit, Qureshi said the opening of Kartarpur Corridor would not only help improve relations with India, but also provide the Sikh community an opportunity of religious tourism. He said that tourist places for Buddhism followers were also being opened.