{"id":15378,"date":"2025-07-31T18:04:03","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T18:04:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=15378"},"modified":"2025-07-31T18:04:03","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T18:04:03","slug":"pakistani-bikers-begin-central-asia-tour-to-boost-eco-ties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=15378","title":{"rendered":"Pakistani bikers begin Central Asia tour to boost\u00a0ECO\u00a0ties"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>A group of renowned Pakistani bikers has set off on an international tourism and cultural expedition to Central Asia under the initiative of the Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab (TDCP).<\/p>\n<p>The 15-member group aims to strengthen tourism ties among four Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) member states: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The bikers were seen off by TDCP Managing Director Dr Nasir Mehmood at the tourism bus terminal located at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking to The Express Tribune, group leader Mukarram Tareen shared that the journey will span 23 days and cover approximately 5,000 kilometers, traversing historic, cultural, and natural landmarks across Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur route will take us from Islamabad to Kabul, Kandahar, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Tashkent. We plan to stay in these cities and engage with local communities. The core objective of this expedition is to promote peaceful relations, regional friendship, and cultural harmony,\u201d Tareen stated.<\/p>\n<p>Another group member, Nazar Saeed Khan, noted that the overland route to the Central Asian republics has long remained inactive. \u201cWe aim to reconnect with bikers\u2019 clubs in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, and invite them to visit Pakistan. Such exchanges can boost tourism and provide opportunities to experience each other\u2019s cultures firsthand,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>TDCP MD Dr Nasir Mehmood lauded the initiative as a landmark step toward fostering regional friendship, cultural integration, and bilateral tourism.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis bike rally aligns with Lahore\u2019s preparations to be declared the Tourism Capital in 2027 and reflects the Punjab government\u2019s commitment to offering international-standard tourism facilities,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n<p>He further emphasised that such healthy and adventurous activities not only promote wellness tourism but also portray Pakistan as a peaceful, harmonious, and welcoming country on the global stage.<\/p>\n<p>This initiative stands as a practical example of utilising tourism as a diplomatic bridge\u2014aiming to project a positive image of Pakistan abroad.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A group of renowned Pakistani bikers has set off on an international tourism and cultural expedition to Central Asia under the initiative of the Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab (TDCP). The 15-member group aims to strengthen tourism ties among four Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) member states: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The bikers were seen [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15378"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15378\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}