Lanka - Pakistan share many cultural facets - PM

Pakistan helped Sri Lanka in many ways on various occasions and the two countries maintain multi-dimensional bilateral relations, Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka said.

The Prime Minister was addressing a seminar on “Buddhist Gandhara heritage of Pakistan” in Colombo recently. The seminar was organised by the Pakistan High Commission in Colombo jointly with Sri Lanka to celebrate Vesak.

Prime Minister Wickramanayaka said, “our friendship is very vital at this stage. Both countries are prone to terrorism and as neighbours we stood together in hard times”.

He appreciated the efforts of the Pakistan Government for preserving Buddhist architecture and heritage in Pakistan.

The Pakistani Government has not only made efforts to preserve the remnants of Buddhist civilization in Pakistan but also stood with the Buddhist community during the Bamiyan incident when Buddha statues were demolished, the Premier said.

He said Buddhist civilization in this region was the centre of learning. Buddha’s profound and compassionate message spreading from this region to India, China, Afghanistan and far away has changed the lives of people around the world.

The Prime Minister said Pakistan helped Sri Lanka fight the LTTE terrorism which is posing a serious challenge to mankind today, he added.

Pakistan High Commissioner Shahzad A. Chaudhry said Pakistan is a meeting point of various civilizations, cultures and religions since the times immemorial. The most well preserved among all is the heritage of Buddhist Ghandhara civilization flourished in the Pakistan region during first to sixth century AD.

The High Commissioner said the Pakistan Government welcome the Buddhist community specially Sri Lankans to Pakistan to re-establish and reinforce relations. He said Pakistan is doing its best to expand opportunities for Sri Lanka to forge closer links with the Gandhara civilization.

Pakistan has increased the number of flights per week from Colombo from three to 14 to provide a better opportunity to Sri Lankans visiting Pakistan.

Now they can visit Pakistan through three destinations; Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad which are business and cultural hubs in Pakistan that provide easy access to other parts of Pakistan.

He said Buddha’s message is a source of light for today’s world which is in turmoil. He highlighted the efforts of the Pakistan Government to preserve Buddhist sites and heritage in Pakistan and invited Sri Lankans to visit these places.

He said Pakistan has many Buddhist shrines, relics, artifacts and ancient sites of monasteries, Buddhist centers of learning and stupas are well preserved and open for religious tourism and further research.

The High Commission also distributed copies of Sinhala translation of the world famous book “Gandhara Art” and “Buddhist Gandhara - History, Art and Architecture” written by Emeritus Prof. Ahmad Hassan Dani and Ihsan H. Nadiem.

Nadeem, Curator of Taxila Museum, Iqbal Bhatti and Prof. Sudarshan Seneviratne also addressed the gathering. Prof Sudarshan emphasised the need for close people to people links and study tours of academics and mediamen to explore the Gandhara civilization further.

He also appreciated Pakistan for preserving Buddhist relics and artifacts in good condition.

The Prime Minister appreciated the efforts of the Pakistan High Commission to introduce Gandhara civilization to Sri Lankans and helping to re-establish their bond with their past through translation of world renowned books into Sinhala language.