Kathmandu, July 10: The Embassy of Pakistan organized the launching ceremony of a book on Pakistan’s Buddhist heritage in Nepali language, titled पाकिस्तानका बौध सम्पदाहरु (Pakistanka Bouddha Sampadhaharu) authored by eminent scholar Om Charan Amatya. Bhim Prasad Acharya, MP, UML, was present on the occasion as the chief guest. Special guests on the occasion included Myo Myint Maung, Ambassador of Myanmar and Ms. Chameera Munasinghe, Charge d’Affaires, Sri Lanka. Besides, venerable monks and Buddhist scholars, political leaders, journalists, civil society members and officials of the Pakistan Embassy and their families also attended the event. Moreover, various universities and think tanks of Pakistan attended the event online.

A. Imran Shaukat, Ambassador on Buddhist Heritage Promotion for Pakistan, addressed virtually and shared details of “Pakistan’s Buddhist Heritage Promotion Initiative.”

In his remarks, Bhim Acharya highlighted the significance of cultural heritage as an important facet of people-to-people contacts. He termed the Buddhist heritage as a shared legacy of both friendly countries, Pakistan and Nepal. Acharya also emphasized the need for enhancing P2P connectivity to further promote the cultural heritages. Earlier, the author of the book Om Charan Amatya, in his remarks, highlighted revered sites in Pakistan, their links to Nepal and potential for spiritual and cultural value for the Nepalis and Buddhists across the world. 

Abrar H Hashmi, Ambassador of Pakistan, said that Pakistan takes pride in its cultural heritage, has preserved it; and wants to share it both as an emotional experience with the followers and tourists alike. He commended writer Amatya for his meticulous work in highlighting the profound historical and cultural ties between Pakistan and Nepal. He hoped that the book would go a long way in reaching to Nepali readers and bring a deeper understanding and quest for research, pilgrimage and travel.

People’s News Monitoring Service.