The Vesak festival, which marks the day of advent and the death of Lord Buddha, was celebrated here on Monday, wherein Myanmar's ambassador was the chief guest. The function was celebrated at the residence of Sri Lankan High Commissioner, W B Dorakumbure, instead of the Buddhist Centre, which is inside the diplomatic enclave.
It was a significant change of venue as the occasion is well known across the world as Islamabad Festival of Lights. It is to be mentioned here that there were no elaborate ceremony in the previous year as only flowers bouquets were offered for peace to prevail in the world.
No pilgrims from Sindh attended the ceremony this year. In another departure, Buddhist Society of Pakistan is not a feature in this year's celebration. 'There is no extant Buddhist Society,' said the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka.
Buddhists believe passionately in world peace and their observance of Lord Gautama's advent focus this point, the high commissioner told Business Recorder. When asked about change of venue, the high commissioner cited difficulty in access to the Buddhist Centre. "Most people cannot get to the Buddhist Centre due to security considerations," said Dorakumbure.