Federal Minister for National Heritage and Culture Aurangzeb Khan Khichi on Thursday chaired the inaugural meeting of the Task Force on the Gandhara – Cradle of Buddhism (GCOB) Strategy, constituted with the approval of the Prime Minister to promote Pakistan's rich Gandhara heritage and strengthen cultural tourism.

Federal Minister for National Heritage and Culture Aurangzeb Khan Khichi on Thursday chaired the inaugural meeting of the Task Force on the Gandhara – Cradle of Buddhism (GCOB) Strategy, constituted with the approval of the Prime Minister to promote Pakistan's rich Gandhara heritage and strengthen cultural tourism.

The meeting was attended by the Secretary National Heritage and Culture Division, representatives of the Ministries of Religious Affairs & Interfaith Harmony, Foreign Affairs and Interior, Managing PTDC, provincial secretaries/Officials of Culture and Heritage, Director General Department of Archaeology and Museums, Coordinator Mr. Imran Shaukat and other members of the Task Force.

The meeting deliberated on a comprehensive roadmap for implementing the GCOB Strategy aimed at projecting Pakistan as the guardian and custodian of the Gandhara civilisation and one of the world's foremost destinations for Buddhist heritage sites.

Addressing the meeting, Federal Minister Aurangzeb Khan Khichi said that Prime Minister of Pakistan has taken a special interest in the preservation and promotion of the Gandhara heritage. He said the inaugural meeting of the Task Force had been convened on the Prime Minister's directives and informed participants that the Prime Minister would personally review the monthly progress of the Gandhara Strategy.

The Minister urged all federal and provincial stakeholders to demonstrate their best performance and work collectively to successfully accomplish the objectives of the initiative. He particularly called upon the representatives of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the heartland of the Gandhara civilisation, to continue extending their full cooperation, and thanked them for their cooperation they had done in the past, for the promotion and preservation of Gandhara heritage..

Aurangzeb Khan Khichi underlined the need to establish specialised task forces for various aspects of the preservation and promotion of the Gandhara civilisation. He said Pakistan must effectively communicate to the international community that it is the true guardian and custo