ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit the historic Nandana Fort near Jhelum on Sunday (today) and launch it as a heritage site.
The prime minister will launch the Al Beruni Radius a tourism project for the revival of Pakistan’s heritage. A statement from the PM’ Officer said the prime minister is keen in preservation and conservation of the site, aimed at converting it into an international tourism site.
The site’s archeological significance dates back to 11th century when famous scholar Abu Rehan Al-Beruni during his stay quantified the circumference of the Earth. Later he wrote a famous book about the region and mentioned Nandana as a great center of learning.
Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has the prime minister will pay a day-long visit to Pind Dadan Khan, a city in Jhelum District, and inaugurate the Nandana Fort project.
The minister said the premier will also announce various development packages for Pind Dadan Khan during his visit to the city. He said the government was utilising all resources for the promotion of tourism in the country.
The Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab (TDCP), Archaeology Directorate and Jhelum district administration recently had made a plan to conserve the historical Nandana Fort.
Nandana was a fort built at a strategic location on a hilly range on the eastern flanks of the Salt Range in Punjab Pakistan. Its ruins, including those of a town and a temple are present. It was ruled by the Hindu Shahi kings until they were expelled y Mahmud of Ghazni in the early 11th century.
Earlier this month, Special Assistant to PM for Overseas Pakistanis Syed Zulfiqar Bukhari had paid a visit to the Nandana Fort along with the officials of tourism and archaeology departments and Jhelum Deputy Commissioner where he was briefed on the project.
