Govt to promote religious tourism to attract maximum tourists to Pakistan: Zulfi Bukhari

Govt to promote religious tourism to attract maximum tourists to Pakistan: Zulfi Bukhari

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