CDA reiterates commitment to turn capital into Tourist Hub

Islamabad
Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Imtaiz Inayat Elahi has said that Islamabad would be promoted as a Tourist Hub not only of the country, but of the region, through promoting eco-tourism and preserving the historical sites.
The CDA chairman said this while talking to the participants of the Walk of Unity , organised in connection with celebration of the World Tourism Day here on Tuesday. The walk was organised by the Tourism Division of CDA and participated by the school children and people from different segments of the society to help promote the tourism with a view to reflect the soft image of the country.
We stand by the international community in the celebrations of World Tourism Day 2011 with the commitment to play a responsible role towards achieving the shared goals, the CDA chairman said.
While talking to The News after the Walk of Unity in his office, Imtiaz Inayat Elahi said that Islamabad and its immediate surroundings have a lot to offer to the people interested in any form of tourism, be it the scenic beauty, the enticing green hills, the alluring water bodies, the wildlife and the varied species of shrubs, plants and trees or the ancient and historic sites like the remains of some ancient civilisations, the footprints of the traders and invaders who traversed this area in another era and a lot more.
Even in shape of modern infrastructure, the city and its surroundings a lot to offer to excite, pamper and sooth the aesthetics of tourists such as the monumental landmarks of the city including the Faisal Mosque, the National Monument on the western ridge of historic Shakarparian hillock, the part of Shakarparian where the world leaders have planted saplings decades ago since this modern city was built and those saplings have now grown into giant of trees over the decades, the Lok Virsa complex, the Sports Complex, the Lake View Park, and many, many more, he said.
And on the mystic side, the city

offers the shrines of Hazrat Pir Shah Abdul Lateef (Bari Imam) and the other of Hazrat Pir Mehr Ali Shah of Golra Sharif, and both are a big attraction for the devotees who come to Islamabad in thousands every year on the occasion of their urs , he said.
On the other side, there are the remains of ancient Budhist monasteries, Hindu mandirs and other sites indicating the existence of ancient civilisations in Islamabad. We, in the CDA, have already launched an extensive campaign to unearth/find, protect and preserve such ancient and historic sites, which will certainly be of lot of interest to the people interested in history and archaeology, he said.