ISLAMABAD: Pakistan wants more Buddhist pilgrims to visit, and the federal government has set out new plans to bring them. One of those plans could move important relics out of the Peshawar Museum, and it is not clear that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has agreed.
Federal Minister for National Heritage and Culture Aurangzeb Khan Khichi set out the plans on September 29 in a meeting with Myanmar’s ambassador, Wunna Han.
A special building is being planned on Murree Road to keep and display sacred Buddhist relics, so that pilgrims have a proper place to pay their respects. The minister said important relics now held at the Peshawar Museum may also be moved to the National Museum.
The Shah Allah Ditta Caves, in the hills on the edge of Islamabad, are due to open to visitors this month. Pakistan also plans to hold Gandhara exhibitions in Buddhist countries.
The ambassador said he would like to see more pilgrimage travel between the two countries. There is no direct commercial flight between Pakistan and Myanmar, so charter flights are being considered, possibly linking other Buddhist destinations too.
Gandhara was an ancient region covering the Peshawar valley, Swat and Taxila. It was one of the great centres of Buddhism, and the place where Greek and Buddhist art met. Taxila and the monastery of Takht-i-Bahi have been on UNESCO’s World Heritage List since 1980. For Buddhists in Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka and beyond, these places carry deep religious meaning.
Pakistan has talked about this kind of tourism for many years. The sites themselves have often been neglected. The Shah Allah Ditta Caves, said to be about 2,400 years old, were reported to be crumbling as recently as 2018.
The Peshawar Museum is run by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and holds one of the most important collections of Gandhara art anywhere. The minister did not say whether the province has agreed to send any of it away, or which pieces are meant.
It is also unclear which “National Museum” he meant. The National Museum of Pakistan is in Karachi, a long way from the Gandhara sites that pilgrims come to see.
No budget or timeline has been given for the Murree Road building. The caves were first promised for the first half of October. If they open on time, that will be the first of these plans that visitors can actually see.
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