Colombo, April 22 (newsin.asia): A delegation of Buddhist monks from Sri Lanka who are currently visiting Buddhist sites in Pakistan, met the Pakistani President Dr. Arif Alvi in Islamabad on Wednesday.
Welcoming the delegation, the President said that Pakistan is home to the Gandhara Buddhist heritage and is the proud custodian of some of the most sacred relics of the Buddha. He pointed out that this offers great potential for promoting religious tourism from Sri Lanka to Pakistan, the President’s Office said in a release on Thursday.s.
Dr.Alvi requested the delegation to encourage monks and lay persons in Sri Lanka to visit the Buddhist religious sites in Pakistan as it has a far greater number of Buddhist artefacts than any other country in the world.
He added that people-to-people contacts and religious tourism provide excellent platforms to further expand bilateral cooperation.
The delegation deeply thanked the Government of Pakistan for making excellent arrangements to facilitate its visit to Buddhist sites. It also appreciated the measures taken by Pakistan for the renovation and preservation of Buddhist heritage sites.
President Alvi said that Pakistan highly values its ties with Sri Lanka as both countries enjoy excellent relations in various fields which are based on mutual respect and trust. He stated that Pakistan considers Sri Lanka as special partner and friend and wants to further improve bilateral cooperation for the mutual benefit of the two friendly countries.
ENDColombo, C
