Daily Times

Special Assistant to Chief Minister (SACM) on Information Hasaan Khawar said on Monday that the Tourism Department had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Punjab Infrastructure Development Authority under the World Bank’s ‘Punjab Tourism for Economic Growth’ programme.

He said the MoU was another step towards revival of tourism in the country and fulfillment of the government’s vision of making Pakistan a tourism hub. Under the MoU, Rs 5 billion would be spent on restoration and repair of Taxila Museum, Rohtas Fort and Hiran Minar in Punjab, he added.

Later, talking to the media. Hassan Khawar said that on the special instructions of Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Bazdar, significant steps had been taken for promotion of tourism in Punjab besides installation of glamping pods at eight tourist spots, zip lining at four places, increasing tourism budget up to Rs 2 billion and outsourcing of 22 tourist spots to private sector.

Apart from this, development of Kotli Sattian and various places in south Punjab as alternative tourist destinations was also part of the agenda to strengthening tourism, he added.

He said that the Tourism Department was also going to sign an MoUs with the Irrigation, Forest and Auqaf departments under which sites of these departments would be developed and used as tourist destinations.

Hasaan Khawar, welcoming the participants in the OIC Foreign Ministers’ meeting on behalf of the Punjab Chief Minister, hoped that this meeting would prove to be an important milestone towards solving Muslim Ummah’s problems.