Muhammad Asad Naeem
The city of palaces Bahawalpur lies in south of the Sutlej River, founded in 1748. It is located between the provinces of Punjab and Sindh and borders with India. Earlier, it was the capital of the state of Bahawalpur, which was ruled by the Nawabs of the Abbasi dynasty until 1955 and left behind a great cultural legacy. The city is world famous for its natural beauty and architectural masterpieces, the great Cholistan Desert, the nearby Lal Sohanra National Park, which also acts as a gateway to this the Greater Cholistan desert.
The major historical and religious place of the region is the city of Uch Sharif which has a rich history of 800 years Muslim Madaris and resting place of many Muslim saints like Hazrat Jalal Shah Bukhari Surkhposh and world famous tomb of Bibi Jiwiendi. Bahawalpur has a huge tourism potential as tourists from all over the world come to visit the Noor Mahal, Derawar Fort, Sadiqgarh Palace, Walled City of Bahawalpur, and many other attractions including mosques, temples, forts, shrines and palaces etc. Additionally, popular festivals like Chanan Peer Mela and Cholistan Jeep Rally are also held every year.
The region is also famous for hand embroidery on clothes, carpets, pottery, and handicrafts. Commissioner Bahawalpur Division Dr. Ehtsham Anwar recently announced exciting news to the people of Bahawalpur in a video message that steps are being taken sothat Bahawalpur will become an ideal place for tourism, especially winter tourism. Bahawalpur is going to get a new identity on the Commissioner’s initiative, which was a great gift on Tourism Day The city of forts and palaces is opening its doors to tourists from aroundtheworld. To promote winter tourism in Cholistan, along with desert safaris, camel safaris and tent villages will be launched, and tourist police will be introduced.
Dr. Ehtsham Anwar was the Deputy Commissioner of Bahawalpur a few years ago. Even then, his untouchable works won the hearts of the citizens. Now, when he came back to Bahawalpur as Commissioner, every day, there is some news of new initiatives and achievements. Explore Bahawalpur is also a step in the same direction. Today tourism management is also touching new heights of innovation as attracting tourists from the country and abroad to Bahawalpur and online provision of tourism related services like hotel transport and arrangement of tourist guides are now available through Explore Bahawalpur website. In this regard, a special event was organized by the divisional administration to launch the Explore Bahawalpur website and inform the residents of Bahawalpur about the measures taken to promote tourism. On this occasion, Commissioner Bahawalpur Dr. Ehtisham Anwar said in his detailed presentation that Bahawalpur is a wonder because of its unique features. Strong measures will be taken to promote tourism by presenting the historical and cultural heritage of this region to the world in a better way. He termed citizens and government together and indispensable for the promotion of tourism and economic activities in Bahawalpur.
Commissioner Bahawalpur Division inaugurated the tourism website EXPLORE BAHAWALPUR on this occasion and as it contains full information package about tourism package. Commissioner Bahawalpur Division said that there is great potential for winter tourism in Cholistan and Bahawalpur.
The historical forts, cultural heritage, and thousands of years old civilization have great potential for international tourism. He said that traces of 5 thousand years old civilizations have been discovered in Cholistan.
Excavation work is being started in Cholistan to discover and restore the remains of the buried ancient industrial city “Gowerwala”. Derawar, the historic Royal Mosque and Royal Cemetery, will be preserved, and a theme park will be built there to make it a world-class tourist hub. Similarly, 19 forts in Cholistan will be preserved in their original condition and restored for tourism. He said that a plan to provide facilities for tourism in the desert on the style of Dubai and Egypt is under proposal. He said that there are excellent opportunities for investment in the tourism industry. In this regard, Bahawalpur Chamber of Commerce and other business organizations and individuals will be encouraged to invest in this tourist center, and easy procedures will be devised to provide full support to government agencies.
Deputy Commissioner Bahawalpur Zaheer Anwar Jappa informed the participants of the event about the new possibilities of tourism in the region.
President Bahawalpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry Zulfiqar Ali Mann delivered the welcome speech and assured support for investment in the tourism sector.
In the ceremony, President Bahawalpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry Zulfiqar Ali Mann, Additional Commissioner Liaison Jam Aftab, Additional Commissioner Ashtmal Ashfaq Syal, Assistant Commissioner General Muhammad Tayyab, Assistant Commissioner City Adeel Khan, Umar Dawood, General Secretary Gymkhana Malik Ejaz Nazim, Zafar Sharif, Former President Chamber of Commerce Javed Iqbal, lawyers, doctors, representatives of Anjuman Tajran, Islamia. Director of Media Shahzad Ahmad Khalid of the University and Chairman of the Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management Dr. Shakeel Sarwar, teachers, Professor Dr. Shahid Hasan Rizvi, Dr. Nasrullah Khan Nasir, members of Bahawalpur Chamber of Commerce, representatives of the business community and civil society were present.
