Islamabad, Kathmandu must cooperate to mitigate climate change: Nepal’s envoy

ISLAMABAD: Nepal’s Ambassador to Pakistan Tapas Adhikari has maintained that Pakistan and Nepal have similar views on many issues of common interests at various regional and international forums.

The ambassador said both countries must cooperate to mitigate the negative consequences of climate change due to their fragile eco-system. Adhikari said he was also impressed by the preservation of the Buddhist heritage in Pakistan and added the global community must know how an Islamic country has protected and taken care of Buddhist sites.

He was talking to a group of senior newsmen at his residence Monday evening. He said that the relationship between Pakistan and Nepal has always been cordial and friendly. The establishment of diplomatic relations in 1960 further enriched bilateral engagements and understandings. Both countries enjoy excellent bilateral relations based on goodwill, mutual trust and cooperation. Pakistan and Nepal relations were further strengthened by high-level interactions and people-to-people contacts. Bilateral trade, similar cultural and social values based on agrarian economy, tourism and mountaineering, and cooperation in education sectors, among others, have further enriched bilateral cooperation. Both countries are founders of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and have been working to promote regional cooperation. Tapas Adhikari highlighted that both Pakistan and Nepal have fragile eco-system.

The Hindukush-Himalayan region is very prone to natural disasters. The region is the water tower of Asia which provides water to three billion people. Climate change has impacted the ecology of this region. Melting glaciers, changing agriculture patterns, and migration have impacted the livelihood of people and the recent flood in Pakistan is a living testimony of climate change in our region. Therefore, Pakistan and Nepal need to work together to mitigate the negative consequences of climate change.

The envoy said that the bilateral trade relations are very limited but it is increasing day by day. “We are optimistic about recent positive trends after the Covid-19 pandemic on bilateral economic engagements and hope it will surpass pre-Covid level very soon.” He recalled that Nepal exported goods worth 100 million Nepalese Rupee and imported goods worth 1.04 billion Nepalese Rupee from Pakistan in 2020. Tapas Adhikari said that his mission was committed to working with the business community in Pakistan towards further enhancing the bilateral trade relations between our countries.

The ambassador said that tourism is a niche product of Nepal and it is a hub of adventure tourism. Many Pakistani friends visit Nepal as tourists and Pakistani and Nepali mountaineers are working together on various mountaineering expeditions in Pakistan or Nepal. “I believe continued cooperation between Pakistani and Nepali mountaineers will make a difference to both countries, making it the centre of mountain and adventure tourism,” he said.

He regretted that unavailability of a direct air link has hampered the large flow of tourists and once we could be able to re-connection air services, there is a high possibility of tourists flowing between Pakistan and his country. Ambassador Adhikari said that Pakistan with 220 million populations is a big tourism market. Every year a large number of people from Pakistan visit different countries. Being in the neighbourhood, with a simple visa regime, a friendly environment, and hospitable people, Pakistani people will enjoy their visit to Nepal. He said that Pakistan has a rich cultural and religious heritage.

It is the place where great religions and philosophies like Hinduism, Buddhism Sikhism and Sufism were established or flourished. There are Buddhist artefacts scattered across Taxila valley, Takhta-i-Bahi and in different areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other parts of Pakistan. Taxila used to be a centre of learning and propagating Buddhism in different parts of the world, he said. It shows that Buddhism had deeply rooted in these areas. He said that Buddhism is the fourth-largest religion in the world. Pakistan can tap these resources to promote friendship, brotherhood and tourism as well as can generate employment and revenue by inviting Buddhist tourists. “I am happy to see the preservation of the Buddhist heritage in Pakistan despite being an Islamic country and I believe this is something the people of the world should know about,” Ambassador Tapas Adhikari added.