MIRPUR: (Parliament Times) The AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan has said that daring nations are recognized by their traditions and culture.
Addressing the concluding ceremony of Lehri festival here on Saturday he said Jammu and Kashmir State is known for its primitive culture and traditions and supreme values. He said traditional and regional sports reflect typical culture of different areas. Such festivals not only provide quality entertainment to the viewers but also have good impact on the state’s economy, he observed.
He reiterated that AJK government had declared 2019 as the year of tourism as it aims to upgrade the facilities at picnic resorts to draw more and more tourists to AJK. He said such festivals were also held in Muzaffarabad, Bagh and Kotli in line with promotion of tourism. He disclosed that in September this year more than 17 countries would take part in paragliding competitions at Pirchinasi. Tourism had been given the status of industry in AJK which would create employment opportunities for educated youth, he remarked.
Mr. Haider was of the view that tourism and sports are part and parcel. He said Lehri ground had become identification for sports like “Naizabazi, Gatkabazi, horse riding, horse dancing, and Mela Maveshian.
He announced that Lehri ground would be upgraded into a stadium to popularize different fairs, and tourism adventure.
He said AJK had enormous tourism potential which would be fully exploited to enable people to extract benefits from it. He said lots of people took interest in the fair from areas of Upper Jhelum, Mangla Dam, Mangla Fort and Khari Sharif. He said Lehri fair would be developed into a national fair.
