Kashmiri food festival to be held in Lahore

A festival of Jammu and Kashmir will be organised in the historic Pakistani city of Lahore in March as part of the growing bonhomie between the two countries.

The duration of the fete is likely to be between seven and 10 days, Managing Director of Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation Aziz Wani told PTI.

Besides, unique dishes like 'Goshtaba', 'Rista', 'tabak maaz' and 'rogan josh', the organisers will display exquisite handicrafts of the state, including shawls and 'pherans' through a fashion show.

Ethnic Kashmiri, Dogri and Ladakhi music will also be part of the programme, Wani said.

Ahead of Lahore, the festival will travel to Dubai in January, where it is expected to be stationed for two months.

Similar food festivals are also planned to be held at various places in the country, including Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai in January, Wani said.

He said these programmes were aimed at attracting the maximum number of tourists to the state by highlighting the specialities.

"The idea is to give a boost to tourism in the state," he said.

As part of various measures to promote tourism in the state, the Jammu and Kashmir government is encouraging private sector.

Work is also underway to set up 'Tourist Villages' across the state. Places have already been identified in Srinagar, Baramulla, Tangmarg and Kishtwar, Wani said.

The state government is also planning to set up business centres at tourist resorts of Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Patnitop, to encourage holding of national and international conferences there and thereby combine work with vacation.

Special packages are also being chalked out to bring children from across the country and world for training in winter sports like skiing, Wani said.