Gandhara artefact to be displayed at exhibition in Korea

ISLAMABAD, Dec 17 (APP): National History and Literary
Heritage (NHLH) Division signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Inter Art Channel, Republic of Korea to organize an
exhibition of Gandhara artefact and sculptures from Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa (KP) in two cities of Korea.
According to the MoU, the exhibition would be held for a
period of six months starting from March next year, a news release
issued here said.
The MoU was signed by Secretary, National History and Literary
Heritage Division, Mohsin S. Haqqani and President of the Inter Art
Channel, Republic of Korea, Yangsoo Kim.
Director General (Policy Planning and Public Diplomacy) Rahim
Hayat Qureshi and Director General (EAP) Javed Jalil Khattak from
Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Joint Secretary (Heritage), Mashood Ahmad Mirza, Director
(Archeology and Museum Department), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Dr. Abdul
Samad and Secretary of Gandhara Art and Culture Association,
Islamabad, Dr. Esther Park were also present during the event.
The MoU would help strengthen the existing excellent relations
between Pakistan and Korea by opening a new avenue of cultural
cooperation.
The exhibition would help to display rich Buddhist
archaeological treasure of Pakistan in Korea and project the soft
image of Pakistan which would help to draw religious tourists to
Pakistan.
The Gandhara civilization which core region was located around
the city of Peshawar in North-West Pakistan, was not only the centre
of spiritual influence but also the cradle of the world famous
Gandhara culture, art and learning.
This ancient source of the region’s culture had created an
empathy between Pakistan and other countries of Central, South and
East Asia which needed to be strengthened.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as part of its Public
Diplomacy initiatives aimed at promoting Pakistani culture abroad,
had undertaken efforts to organize with the assistance of our
missions abroad a series of ancient Pakistan exhibitions.
The ministry endeavoured to arrange such public diplomacy
events to project Pakistan’s culture, heritage and ethos both at
home and abroad.