ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Sri Lanka have agreed to expand cultural cooperation by promoting religious tourism, aiming to hold joint cultural exhibitions and heritage programs, according to an official statement on Tuesday.
The development came during a meeting between Pakistan’s National Heritage and Culture Minister Aurangzeb Khan Khichi and Sri Lankan Ambassador Rear Admiral (retd) Fred Seneviratne in Islamabad.
Pakistan offers religious tourism to visitors of multiple faiths including Sikhs, Buddhists and Hindus. It features Islamic shrines, Hindu temples, Sikh gurdwaras, Buddhist heritage sites across the country.
“People-to-people contact through religious tourism will be a great channel for cultural communication,” the statement quoted Khichi as saying.
He added that reputable tour operators from both countries would be engaged to organize special religious and cultural tours.
The statement said both sides agreed to organize joint cultural exhibitions, art displays and heritage programs to provide platforms for artists, craftsmen and cultural institutions from Pakistan and Sri Lanka to showcase their work.
It added that the Sri Lankan envoy was informed about the availability of virtual tours of major Buddhist heritage sites in Pakistan, allowing global audiences to explore the country’s rich cultural legacy.
According to the statement, the Sri Lankan envoy expressed interest in the architectural and cultural artifacts preserved in Pakistani museums, particularly in Taxila and Lahore.
In 2021, a 14-member delegation of Buddhist monks from Sri Lanka, led by Dr. Walpola Piyananda undertook a week-long pilgrimage to holy sites in Pakistan. According to its members, Pakistan was home to one of the most exotic Buddhist civilizations of the past.
Pakistan and Sri Lanka share long-standing ties with cooperation across various sectors.
In December last year, Pakistan provided assistance to Sri Lanka in the form of relief aid and rescue workers following disastrous floods across the tropical island nation.
