By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: Nepal’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Tapas Adhikari on Thursday praised the government of Pakistan’s commendable efforts to promote the ancient Gandhara civilization.
The envoy also appreciated the government of Pakistan for organizing a symposium entitled “Cultural Diplomacy: Reviving Gandhara Civilization and Buddhist Heritage to create awareness about Pakistan’s rich historical and cultural Buddhist Legacy. The government of Pakistan’s initiative to promote Gandhara Tourism in Pakistan and remarkable and commendable.
Highlighting the rich Buddhist heritages in Nepal, he said, “We can work together and explore the potential for collaboration between Nepal and Pakistan in revitalizing religious tourism.” The ambassador expressed gratitude to the government of Pakistan for embarking on various initiatives to promote Buddhism in the Buddhist culture in a programme organized by the Embassy of Nepal in Islamabad on the sidelines of the Symposium on 12 July 2023.
He highlighted that Nepal was a centre of all three major schools of Buddhism, including Theravada, Mahayana and Bajrayana, and a lot of people from around the world, including from Pakistan, visited Nepal for spiritual quests.
He also touched upon the contribution of Guru Padmasambhava also known as Guru Rimpoche who was born in ancient Udiyana which is presently called Swat Valley in Pakistan in promoting and spreading Buddhism in the region. He also underlined the importance of Takshyashila and Gandhara in Buddhist literature.
The programme was attended by venerable Buddhist monks and Buddhist scholars from Nepal as well as by many Buddhist practitioners and enthusiasts. During programme of the Embassy, the Monks and scholars highlighted various aspects of Buddhist values such as non-violence, love, compassion, meditation etc. They also organized a small session of meditation for the participants.
Dr. Nadeem Omer Tarar, a scholar at Gandhara Chair, University of Wah, said that the Symposium 2023 was the reaffirmation of Pakistan’s state commitment for promoting the Buddhist heritage as a symbol of global peace.
By inviting monks from the Asian Buddhist communities and scholars from Pakistan and around the world in an engaging dialogue, the organizers of the Gandhara Symposium had set a precedent for successive regimes to follow, he added.
He said Pakistan needed a public policy and institute to brand Pakistan as an attractive tourist destination for the Buddhist world. Nepal was Pakistan’s friendly Buddhist neighbour which could play a vital role in boosting religious tourism if the air connectivity was restored, he added.
