Pakistan, May 17 -- Neither an archeologist, nor an expert on Gandharan art and culture, and certainly not an expert on Buddhism, yet I have been devoted to the promotion and understanding of Gandhara in the world. Why? Because my interest in promoting Gandhara is threefold: one, to generate income for Pakistan by creating a unique Buddhist pilgrimage sector which would generate billions of dollars for Pakistan; two, facilitate the sub-integration of South Asia and ASEAN countries around the shared Buddhist heritage; and, lastly, to promote an image of Pakistan that shows diversity, tolerance, inclusiveness and moderation.

In the past decade, the deeper I have ventured on this journey, I have come to the conclusion that educating the wor...