ISLAMABAD: The government is working on a comprehensive plan to tap the tourism potential of the country that includes simplifying visa and other procedures for tourists desiring to visit the Northern Areas.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said this on Monday while talking to Prince Karim Aga Khan, who called on him at the Prime Minister House. “Pakistan has vast potential in tourism and necessary facilities are being created for the tourists and plans are under way for packaging Gandhara linkages and Northern Areas linkages to attract more tourists,” the prime minister said.
Numerous investment opportunities have been created as a result of the government’s investor-friendly policies, the prime minister said and added that there was a vast scope for investment in hotel industry in Islamabad, where a number of new hotels were being set up by renowned companies.
He said that Islamabad, by virtue of its location and scenic beauty, has the potential to become a regional tourism hub. The prime minister emphasised the need for promoting inter-civilisation dialogue, saying people belonging to various faiths need to work harder to promote interfaith harmony to promote peace and prosperity in the world. He briefed Prince Karim Aga Khan about the plans for rehabilitation of the earthquake-affected areas and restoration infrastructure.
The situation in Afghanistan also came under discussion and the prime minister said Pakistan desired to see stability and socio-economic development in Afghanistan and had been supporting and assisting the country in a number of ways. Prince Karim Aga Khan thanked the prime minister for government’s assistance and the interest it showed in setting up educational city in Karachi.
He said the Aga Khan University expansion is being done and presently academic planning is moving ahead, as six new graduate schools would be set up in the education city and the university would offer facilities in a wide range of disciplines in science, arts, humanities. Aga Khan appreciated the investment-friendly policies of the government and informed that the Aga Khan Foundation was working on plans to start more ventures in Pakistan.
Ismailimail 