PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government will set up Gandhara Research Centre with the help of the South Korean government to promote religious tourism in the province.

This was agreed upon during a meeting between senior minister for tourism and archaeology Atif Khan and South Korean Ambassador Kwak Sung Kyu, according to a press release issued here on Friday.

The minister informed the Korean envoy that the provincial government had taken initiatives for promotion of religious tourism in the province.

The minister said that more than 2,000 historical and sacred sites of Buddhism were found in the province, adding the government was taking effective steps to secure and develop these places.

He said that a conference of Buddhist countries would be held soon in the province to help raise awareness about such holy places and draw the attention of followers of Buddhism to these spots.

He also briefed the Korean ambassador on the new tourism zones to be set up in the province.

The Korean envoy applauded the provincial government’s efforts for promotion of religious tourism, and assured all kind of assistance in that regard.

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2019