Editing Pakistan (section)

=== Tourism ===
{{main|Tourism in Pakistan}}

[[File:Shangrila, Lower Kachura Lake.jpg|thumb|right|[[Shangrila Lake]] and adjoining resort in [[Skardu]], [[Gilgit-Baltistan]]]]

With its diverse cultures, landscapes, and attractions, Pakistan drew around 6.6 million foreign tourists in 2018.<ref>{{cite web |last=Junaidi |first=Ikram |title=Tourist traffic witnesses sharp increase in five years |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1508132 |work=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]] |date=30 September 2019}}</ref> However, this was a decline from the peak of tourism in the 1970s driven by the popular [[Hippie trail]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Richard Gregory |website=www.richardgregory.org.uk |url=http://www.richardgregory.org.uk/history/hippie-trail.htm |access-date=17 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728045152/https://www.richardgregory.org.uk/history/hippie-trail.htm |archive-date=28 July 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Pakistan boasts attractions from [[Indus River Delta-Arabian Sea mangroves|mangroves]] in the south to Himalayan [[List of hill stations of Pakistan|hill stations]] in the northeast, including ancient Buddhist ruins of [[Takht-i-Bahi]] and [[Taxila]], the 5,000-year-old [[Indus Valley civilization]] sites such as [[Mohenjo-daro]] and [[Harappa]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/76d57272-6764-11de-925f-00144feabdc0.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/76d57272-6764-11de-925f-00144feabdc0.html |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |title=The road between China and Pakistan |website=[[Financial Times]] |date=4 July 2009|access-date=27 September 2010}}</ref> and numerous [[List of mountains in Pakistan|mountain peaks]] over {{convert|7,000|m|abbr=off}}.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=5 Pakistani peaks that are among world's highest |url=http://nation.com.pk/entertainment/11-Dec-2015/5-pakistani-peaks-that-are-among-world-s-highest|access-date=9 January 2017 |magazine=[[The Nation (Pakistan)|The Nation]] |date=11 December 2015 |quote=Pakistan is home to 108 peaks above 7,000 metres and probably as many peaks above 6,000&nbsp;m.}}</ref> The northern part of Pakistan boasts numerous old fortresses, showcasing ancient architecture. It encompasses the [[Hunza Valley|Hunza]] and [[Chitral valley]]s, where the small pre-Islamic [[Kalash people|Kalasha]] community resides, claiming descent from Alexander the Great.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/28439107.html|title=Pakistan's Forgotten Pagans Get Their Due|last=Bezhan|first=Frud|date=19 April 2017|website=[[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]]|access-date=11 July 2017|quote=About half of the Kalash practice a form of ancient Hinduism infused with old pagan and animist beliefs.}}</ref> Lahore, Pakistan's cultural capital, showcases numerous examples of [[Mughal architecture]], including the [[Badshahi Masjid]], the [[Shalimar Gardens (Lahore)|Shalimar Gardens]], the [[Tomb of Jahangir]], and the [[Lahore Fort]]. Following the [[2005 Kashmir earthquake]], ''[[The Guardian]]'' highlighted "The top five tourist sites in Pakistan" to boost tourism, featuring destinations like [[Taxila]], [[Lahore]], the [[Karakoram Highway]], [[Karimabad (Hunza)|Karimabad]], and [[Lake Saiful Muluk]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2006/oct/17/pakistan?page=all |work=The Guardian |location=London |title=Out of the rubble |first=Antonia |last=Windsor |date=17 October 2006|access-date=25 May 2010}}</ref> Festivals and government initiatives aim to promote Pakistan's cultural heritage.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tourism.gov.pk/fairs_festivals.html |title=Tourism Events in Pakistan in 2010 |publisher=tourism.gov.pk |access-date=27 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070209103944/http://www.tourism.gov.pk/fairs_festivals.html |archive-date=9 February 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2015, the [[World Economic Forum]] ranked Pakistan 125th out of 141 countries in its Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2015 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/TT15/WEF_Global_Travel&Tourism_Report_2015.pdf |publisher=[[World Economic Forum]]|access-date=24 February 2017}}</ref>