Highlighting Kashmir’s historic centrality in imparting knowledge across the subcontinent, Minister for Education, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari urged the students of Maharashtra to become brand ambassadors of Jammu and Kashmir in rest of the country.Addressing an Iftaar cum dinner party hosted by Mumtaz Group of hoteliers in the honour of guest students from Creative Academy Pune yesterday evening, Bukhari hoped that they would take wonderful experiences and memories from this mesmerizing Valley and share with their families back home.A batch of 90 students who are in Kashmir for the first time on an educational tour attended the Party and also interacted with the Minister and the officers of the education department.Minister for Horticulture, Syed Basharat Bukhari, Secretary Education, Farooq Ahmed Shah, former minister Mohammad Dillawar Mir, Hotelier Mushtaq Ahmed Chaya and Naushad Sheikh, Director Creative Academy Pune were also present on the occasion. “Problems are everywhere in the world. We can’t stop living or shaping our lives because of these problems. We need to deal with these problems and should not lose hope,” Bukhari told the guest students while referring to the situation in Kashmir.
The minister said that as a part of its educational tourism plan, the State government is committed to facilitate such tour programmes for the students of different states of the country.“Such programmes provide an opportunity coupled with a platform for exchange of ideas between student communities and help in shaping their future,” he observed.Bukhari said that Educational Tourism will lead to blending of ideas and rich cultural values between the people of different states in the country and will also help in the promotion of Kashmir tourism outside the state. “Through this exercise more and more people in rest of the country will come to know about values and hospitality of the people of Kashmir,” Bukhari said while welcoming the initiative taken by the Creative Academy of Pune.While addressing the gathering, Minister for Horticulture, Syed Basharat Bukhari lauded the tour operators associations of Maharashtra for organizing such a tour programme for students and hoped such programmes would continue in future.He asked the guest students to share their experiences with their fellow students in Maharashtra and elsewhere in the country so that the real picture of Kashmir is presented before the public.
In his speech Farooq Ahmad Shah, secretary tourism and education, highlighted the tourism potential of Kashmir and asked the students to visit the different regions of the State especially Kashmir along-with their families in future.Shah underlined the significance of Kashmir Valley with regard to its historic position for education and tourism. He said the state government is trying its best to promote its tourism potential of all its regions including Ladakh and Jammu across the globe.Shah said that the students coming to Kashmir in large groups would get incentives like free entry to Mughal Gardens and concession in Cable Car tariffs at Gulmarg.Mr Noushad Sheikh, Director Creative Academy Pune thanked State government particularly the ministry of education for facilitating such an education tour for the students.Many guest students also spoke on the occasion sharing their personal experiences of visiting Kashmir for the first time. These students appreciated the hospitality of the people of Kashmir and pledged to disseminate the real picture of Valley in their respective places at Maharashtra and elsewhere in the country.