A month-long exhibition of relics of Buddha taken from two Pakistani museums will begin in Colombo on May 17, which will not only enhance the soft image of Pakistan but will also increase the number of religious tourists to the country.
This was stated by Sri Lankan deputy high commissioner Mr Bandara while talking to newsmen at the Taxila Museum on Tuesday. A ceremony was held in which officials of the archeology and museums department handed over the relics to the Sri Lankan officials.
First Secretary of Sri Lankan embassy Wijayanthi Edirisinghe, former director general archaeology department Dr Fazal Dad Kakar, deputy director Bahadur Khan, senior archaeologist Mehmoodul Hassan Shah, conservation engineer Ali Gohar and other officials were also present.
Mr Bandara said the relics would be presented by President Asif Ali Zardari to Namal Rajapakha, the son of Sri Lankan President and Member of Parliament, who is coming to Pakistan as a special envoy to collect them.He said Pakistani archeologists would also visit Sri Lanka to brief the tourists. These relics were collected from Taxila and Peshawar museums. He said Pakistan was a sacred country for Buddhists, especially those living in Sri Lanka, and students were taught about Taxila in their textbooks. However, he added, there was little practical knowledge about the rich Buddhist treasure of Pakistan. The exhibition of these relics would prove a pivotal step towards strengthening cultural relations between the two countries.
He said every year thousands of religious tourists visited India and Nepal while Pakistan harboured richer cultural treasurer to offer to religious tourists from Buddhist countries. -Dawn