TAXILA: The Punjab government plans to promote religious tourism and in first phase different initiatives have been taken to woo Sikh tourists.

According to official sources, the government has evolved a strategy in collaboration with the Punjab Planning and Development Board, provincial departments of tourism, archives, archaeology and Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) to exploit the potential of this form of tourism.

The province has important religious worship places for Buddhists, Sikhs and Hindus.

The ETPB deputy secretary for shrines, Syed Faraz Abbass, while talking to Dawn on Friday said the tourism would not only give a boost to national but provincial economy as well.

Sikh religion’s most sacred places like Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, Gurdwara Darbar Sahib (Kartarpur) and Gurdwara Dera Sahib are located in Taxila, he said.

Being custodian body of minorities’ religious places, ETPB would extend all technical and administrative support to the provincial tourism authorities in this regard.