Is Pakistan Really Encouraging ‘Faith Tourism’, Pakistan Hindu Council Invites Indian Hindu Pilgrims

(The Quiver) India-Pakistan never shared a great bond. Relationship status between the two countries always remain bitter, inspite of many steps taken in diplomatic level to strengthen the bond. Even wins and loss in sports games is considered not less than war battles fought between the countries.

 Very rare news emerges showing the attempts taken to improve the relations between the two Countries. One such news is virally circulating in social platforms which is the Pakistan Hindu Council (PHC) has invited a group of 250 pilgrims, including from India, to visit the country in an attempt to encourage “faith tourism”, Dawn news reported. The Hindu Council has arranged the programme in collaboration with Pakistan International Airlines.

The group will visit the shrine of Paramhans Ji Maharaaj, a saint who had died at Teri village, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Karak district in 1919 in Pakistan.

“A number of Hindu pilgrims from India, the United Arab Emirates and the US will arrive in Peshawar on Jan 1 to visit the Samadhi at Teri,” told by PHC patron Ramesh Kumar Vankwani .

 “This is the second time that the council has invited Hindu pilgrims from other countries so that they can see for themselves the existence of a tolerant and pluralistic society in Pakistan,” Vankwani added.

For a change, Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmad had celebrated Diwali at Teri temple last month to express solidarity with local members of the Hindu community and to welcome pilgrims from other parts of the country.

Many speculations are made behind the reason of this invitation. To many its just a show-off in International level that the Hindu community are enjoying the same rights as other Pakistanis but the reality may differ from what is shown on above.