PM Shares Image Of Swat's Buddha To Highlight Buddhist Tourism Potential

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Oct, 2021 ) :Prime Minister Imran Khan Sunday took to Twitter to share an image of some 2000-year old iconic Buddha of Swat to highlight Pakistan's potential in Buddhist tourism.

"One of the largest rock engravings of Buddha, almost 2000 years old, located in Jahan Abad, Swat," the prime minister said in a tweet while sharing the image of Buddha seated in meditative posture.

Carved on a granite cliff in the 7th century, the Buddha of Swat was restored to almost its original position with the Italian government's assistance, after it was damaged by the terrorists before the area was purged of militants.

The prime minister had long been striving to exploit the country's immense potential in tourism, which he believed could even support the country to pay off the foreign debts.

"Switzerland is half the size of our northern areas and has no match with the natural beauty of our landscape, yet it earns $80 billion from tourism whereas our total export is of $25 billion," the prime minister told a gathering in Mansehra recently.

In a meeting with Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, during his visit to the country in February this year, Imran Khan highlighted Buddhist heritage sites in Pakistan.

"Pakistan probably has one of the greatest Buddhist heritages in the world and we invite people from Sri Lanka to visit them," Khan had said.