ISLAMABAD/JHELUM: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday stressed the importance of preservation of cultural heritage to avoid the risk of losing traditional knowledge as he inaugurated the heritage trail at Nandna Fort in Jhelum to promote tourism and generate work opportunities.
Addressing the ceremony following the inauguration of the landmark tourist attraction, which until recently was grappling with the question of how best to protect the strategic heritage, the prime minister said the safeguard of heritage tourism is necessary for the benefit of future generations.
He regretted that the previous governments could not develop a viable model to preserve archaeological sites in the country, Radio Pakistan reported.
On the occasion, the prime minister also recounted the discovery of the remains of a 1,700-year-old sleeping Buddha image in 2017 in a ceremony he had presided in the capacity as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairperson.
Imran said the nation has to protect the sacred sites for our coming generations, as well as the world, to attract tourists from across the globe.
Tourism, he said, is a big source of employment and revenue, and added the Salt Range, a mountainous range, was still unexplored.
Heter also announced to develop the historic Baghanwala site in Jhelum as a modern village as part of his initiative to encourage tourism and project religious harmony.
There, he also interacted with the local people and listened to their problems. To a query, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, who was accompanying the premier, assured the public that all their problems will be solved on a priority basis.
Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhary and Sate Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Zulfi Bukhari were also present on the occasion.
Imran had arrived in Jhelum in the morning to launch Al-Beruni Radius, a tourism project.
Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI will pay a visit to Nandana Fort and launch it as heritage site tomorrow. The PM is keen in preservation and conservation of the site, aimed at converting it into an international tourism site. pic.twitter.com/82pohlv89q
— Prime Minister’s Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) February 27, 2021
The site’s archeological significance dates back to the 11th century when famous scholar Abu Rehan Al-Beruni quantified the circumference of the earth during his visit to the place, Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement.
The premier, the statement said, has taken a special interest in the preservation and conservation of the site.
Al-Beruni also wrote a famous book about the region, mentioning Nandana as a great centre of learning.
Earlier, as part of his initiative to promote tourism, the prime minister had witnessed an agreement signing between the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and World Bank for eco-tourism under which the government would expand road networks to boost tourism.
Addressing the ceremony following the inauguration of the landmark tourist attraction, which until recently was grappling with the question of how best to protect the strategic heritage, the prime minister said the safeguard of heritage tourism is necessary for the benefit of future generations.
If Imran Khan really wants to save the heritage sites of the country, then he should first try to eradicate bigotry from Pakistan. A few days ago, it was seen that a Buddha statue was broken at the behest of a cleric. Similarly, many Hindu temples in Pakistan were destroyed. Such incidents arise due to hatred of India in Pakistani society. Subject to radicalism, the people of Pakistan damage the heritage sites there. While the administration there has nothing to do with making people aware of this. The entire system of Pakistan is busy spreading terrorism in the region and hatred against India. Therefore, to save the heritage sites, Imran Khan must first eliminate hatred of the country and remove the country’s system from the priority of spreading terrorism.