Altaf Hamid Rao,
MIRPUR (AJK): Describing the 3-day grand Kashmir moot on Archaeology, held for the first time in AJK’s archaeological history, as the positive outburst of the transfer of powers from AJK Council to the AJK government through the 13th amendment in the Interim constitution of AJK, AJK minister for Sports, Youth & Culture Ch. Muhammad Saeed said that the historic amendment will open new avenues of the overall speedy socio-economic progress and prosperity of the liberated territory.
He was speaking as chief guest at the concluding session of the grand moot, hosted by AJK Tourism, Archaeology, Information and IT Departments of AJK Government here Saturday night.
Secretary Tourism, Archaeology, Information and Information Technology Ms. Midhat Shehzad and Director General Tourism & Archaeology Pirzada Ershad Ahmed, Kashmir-origin Lord Mayor of British Scotland city Ch. Altaf Hussain, K D Khan, seasoned archaeological expert and Advocate General of AJK, ex DG Tourism and Archaelogy Dept. of AJK and historian of Jammu Kashmir state Dr. Mohsin Shakeel, Mian Atiq Ahmed, Secretary General Museum Association of Pakistan, Muhammad Alam Head of Tourism and Hospitality and Dr. Muhammad Zahid from Hazara University, Aftab ur Rehman Rana, President Sustainable Tourism Development Foundation of Pakistan, Dr. Asma Ibrahim Director State Bank Museum Karachi, Dr. Kanwal Khalid from Punjab University , Ambassador (Retd) Arif Kamal and others also addressed the concluding session moving healthy suggestion for the promotion of archaeological and religious tourism for visit and pilgrimage of the archaeological and religious sites located in various parts of AJK.
AJK Secretary Tourism, Archaeology and Information Ms. Midhat Shehzad disclosed on this occasion that first of the three state of the art museums will be established in Mirpur in the near future by his department in the line of the recommendation of the conference.
Our Correspondent Altaf Hamid Rao reports from Mirpur that some of the speakers strongly called for revival of the ancient Gurdwar at Ali Beg in outskirt of Mirpur for pilgrimage by the sikh community including from across the LoC through revival of natural Mirpur-Changher natural route at the Line of Control at the pattern of the revival of Kartarpur border.
Addressing the conference the AJK sports and culture affairs minister Ch. Saeed said that sitting AJK government was making concerted efforts for the promotion of tourism industry in AJK besides to preserve the centuries old archaeological asset in the state.
He underlined that tourism sector has emerged as the strong source of economy the world over including the developed nations. He pointed out that the strong economy of the fast emerging Turkey primarily based on its tourism which was securing the economy of $ 50 billion annually. The minister said that our country – Pakistan’s economy also depended upon total annual exports of Rs. 24 billion
Ch. Saeed said that the government would be recommended for the uplift of the ancient Jhelum Kanal water body and Chapri Water Theme park in ancient Khaarak locality on the periphery of scenic Mangla lake in Mirpur to turn it the most attractive hub of tourism for the promotion of domestic tourism in this ancestral district of over a million of UK-based Kashmiri expatriates, he added.
Referring to the forthcoming arrival of the CPEC in Azad Jammu Kashmir, the minister said that the gigantic project, besides bringing boom of speedy socio economic progress and prosperity in Pakistan , will also help in to bring about speedy uplift of tourism and archaeological sectors in AJK since restoration of national heritage has become imperative for the promotion and uplift of the archaeological tourism in the country including AJK. He disclosed that preliminary work for construction of 4- MMMM
Express way project under CPEC will prove to be the strong and swift source of communications and connectivity with rest of the world. The gigantic project, he said would be completed in next 5 to 7 years.
The minister said that AJK government was already acting upon to lay the grand network of highways within the state right from Bhimbher to Tao Butt with the assistant of UNICEF and UNESCO.
Speaking on this occasion, Kashmir born Lord Mayor of Scotland Ch. Altaf Hussain invited a 5-member delegation of the AJK Tourism, Information and Archaeology Department headed by the Secretary to the State Govt. Ms. Midhat Shehzad to Scotland in May this year for a trip to study the opportunities and potential for archaeological tourism in AJK through visiting the ancient sites in Ireland and rest of the identical historic sites in Britain.
The British-Kashmiri Lord Mayor, who originally hails from AJK, reiterated the wishes and determination of the UK based Kashmiri Diaspora, hailing from Mirpur, to lend all of their potential and due role for encouraging and promoting the close friendly ties between Britain and Pakistan including AJK besides for the uplift of their native districts of Kotli, Mirpur and Bhimbher of Mirpur division.