Daily Times

A delegation of Buddhist monks led by Most Venerable Won Haeng, President Jogye Order, the biggest denomination of Buddhism in the Republic of Korea, in currently on a visit to Pakistan to promote religious tourism and giving fresh impetus to the existing cultural ties between Korea and Pakistan.

During the visit, the delegation will evaluate safety of the Korean Buddhist pilgrims and security measures at major Buddhist sites in Pakistan. They will also discuss the means to preserve and restore Buddhist cultural heritage in the country. The delegation is expected to have a meeting with prominent Islamic scholars to promote interfaith harmony.

During the visit, organised by Pakistan Embassy in Seoul in coordination with Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Korean Embassy in Islamabad, the delegation will discuss the possibility with the KP government to establish a school in the name of Monk Maranantha at his birth place in Chota Lahore, Swabi.

The visit aims at promoting religious tourism and giving fresh impetus to the existing cultural ties between Korea and Pakistan. It will open stage for the Buddhist pilgrims from Korea and other parts of the world to Pakistan.

On Wednesday, the delegation met Prime Minister Imran Khan at the PM Office. During the meeting, the prime minister said Pakistan is the cradle of civilizations, making it a revered destination for the followers of three major religions, Buddhism, Sikhism and Hinduism. He highlighted Pakistan’s commitment to promoting inter-faith harmony and respect for all religions.

He said Pakistan is proud of its Buddhist heritage and his government is focused on promoting tourism, especially the religious tourism. The two countries must enhance collaboration in conservation and promotion of historical Buddhist sites, he added.

The prime minister said the visit of Buddhist delegation from South Korea will convey the common message of peace, harmony and understanding among all religions. He expressed hope that the visit of Jogye Order will promote people-to-people contacts by highlighting the historic cultural and religious linkages between the two countries, going back to the Buddhist Gandhara civilization.

Most Venerable Won Haeng, President of Jogye Order, lauded the efforts of Pakistan for preservation of Buddhist heritage. He thanked the prime minister for promoting world peace and inter-faith harmony and expressed the desire to work with the government of Pakistan to promote Buddhist heritage in the Republic of Korea and to encourage more religious pilgrims to visit Pakistan.