Pakistan to Promote Buddhist Pilgrim Tours

Outgoing Pakistani High Commissioner, Major General (Retd.) Umar Farooq Burki paid a farewell call on Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena at the Temple Trees today (December 18) and thanked the Prime Minister for excellent support extended to him during his tenure in Sri Lanka. The High Commissioner briefed the Prime Minister about the steps taken to promote tourism, especially Buddhist pilgrim tours to Pakistan. The Prime Minister, while welcoming the offer by Pakistan to open Buddhist pilgrim sites for Sri Lankans and thanked the Pakistan High Commission for organizing a tour for Buddhist monks, journalists and academics on a familiarization visits to Pakistan to witness the diversity of well-preserved Buddhist heritage sites last year. The High Commissioner said another such visit would be held early next year. The Prime Minister thanked Pakistan for continuous support given to Sri Lanka at the UNHRC and other international forums. He also expressed gratitude to the Pakistani Envoy for increasing the Pakistani scholarships for higher education offered to Sri Lankan students. The Prime Minister called upon the Pakistani entrepreneurs to look for new investments in Sri Lanka and the High Commissioner promised to bring this to the notice of investors. The High Commissioner also agreed to explore possibility of export of onion and corn to Sri Lanka. Secretary to the Prime Minister Anura Dissanayake, Media Advisor Sugeeswara Senadhira and Pakistan High Commission’s Press and Education Attache, Adeel Sattar also were present on this occasion.