Govt to promote religious tourism to attract maximum tourists to Pakistan: Zulfi Bukhari
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LONDON: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis, Human Development and Tourism, Zulfi Bukhari has said that Government was determined to promote religious tourism to pull maximum number of tourists to Pakistan from across the globe for the prosperity of the country.
“Religious tourism has great potential to attract a large number of religious tourists including Sikh and Buddhists to Pakistan which was neglected by the past governments”, he said while addressing the United Kingdom Sikh community at Rembrandt Hotel London on Monday evening. The event was organized in his honour by the Central Gurdwara (Khalsa Jatha) London to thank Prime Minister Imran Khan and his government for its decision of opening up of Kartarpur Corridor, leading to one of Sikhs the holiest palace of Gurduwara Kartarpur Shrine in Punjab (Pakistan).
A larger number of British-Indian Sikh Community, lords and members of the Parliament attended the ceremony. The function was addressed among others by Prof.Peter Singh Virdee, Chairman Sikh Federation (UK), Bhai Amrik Singh Gill, Preet Kaur Gill MP, Buni Charran Das Ji, Harmeet Singh, Manvir Singh Bnohal of Sikh Network,Lord Suri Sikh, Advisor Sikh Federation (UK) Dabinoerjit Singh and Retired Justice Anoop Singh.
Speaking to Sikh gathering, Zulfi Bukhari said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken the decision of opening up of Kartarpur Corridor to facilitate Sikh Pilgrims to facilitate the easy access to their holiest place in Pakistan. He added that the pilgrimage visa facilitation to Sikh devotees would be made easier.
He said that under a pilot project 500 Sikh Yatrees would be given visa and this the number would be increased to 5000 in the future.
He said that the Phase-1 project of Kartarpur would be completed by end of October this year and then Phase-2 would be started, besides providing better transport and accommodation facilities to intending Sikh devotees. He said that a special facilitation desk in Embassies abroad would also be established in connection with the 550th Birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak at Kartarpur Guduwara to facilitate the intending devotees.
He expressed the hope that such kind of events would help promote religious tolerance and interfaith harmony in the country. Zulfi Bukhari said that through promoting religious tourism in Pakistan could attract a good number of Sikh and Buddhists tourists to Pakistan form various parts of the globe including UK, USA, Korea and Japan by enabling them to visit their holy places existed in different parts of Pakistan.
He also called upon the investors to invest in their religious places and the government would extend cooperation and support to them. He assured the Sikh Community that Pakistan wanted to make the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak as a global event. Zulfi Bukhari said that Imran Khan soon after taking the office of the Prime Minister established a task force on Tourism. He added that Prime Minister wanted to promote Religious tourism as an engine of economic growth and focus was being made to developed this important sector for the economic development of the country.
He said that Pakistan was facing economic crisis inherited from the previous government. He added that Pakistan can overcome its economic challenges by promoting sectors like Tourism in the country. He called upon the investors to invest in religious tourism as an investment in religious tourism was a good profitable investment. He said that Pakistan was not open for religious tourism in the past as it was today.
The Sikh leaders in their remarks appreciated Prime Minister Imran Khan and his government for initiating Kartarpur Corridor project to facilitate the visit of Sikh Pilgrims to their holiest Shrine in Pakistan. They Sikh Gurdawara leaders said that they have established a fund of Pounds 500 million for the development of Sikh Shrines including Kartarpur Gurduwar Darbar Sahib.
They in their remarks said that some of them had visited Pakistan and people were very frinedly, hospitable and caring people.
They hoped that opening of Kartarpur , the corridor would help promote interfaith harmony. They said that they would also urge the Indian Modi government to fully cooperate with Pakistan in its initiative of Kartarpur Corridor Project. They also called for peace between Indian and Pakistan.
Later question and answer session was also held in which the Sikh community leaders highlighted the visa and other related issues and Zulfi Bukhari assured them of cooperation and support to them in this regard.
APP
