Earlier this month, a delegation of five master's students from the Silk Road program at the College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, began a three-month joint training and academic exchange in Pakistan.  This visit is designed to strengthen academic cooperation and lay the foundation for a Joint Agro-Biodiversity Research Center for Agro-Biological Resources and a Collaborative Laboratory, all in line with jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative. The delegation was welcomed in Islamabad by Professor Mukhtar Ahmad, Chairman of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. 

During the meeting, Professor Ahmad expressed his full support for the program and emphasized the significance of collaborative student training and academic partnerships in enhancing scientific and educational cooperation between the two countries. The delegation also visited key institutions, including the Pakistan Science Foundation, the Pakistan Museum of Natural History, Herbarium of Pakistan (ISL) QAU, and the Sino-Pak Agricultural Biodiversity Research Center. At Quaid-i-Azam University, they were received by Professor Niaz Ahmad Akhtar, the Vice Chancellor, who engaged in detailed discussions regarding the exchange program's arrangements.

Over the next three months, the delegation will conduct practical training and academic exchanges at several partner institutions under the Belt and Road Biohealth Agricultural Industrial Alliance, including the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad; the University of Haripur; the University of Sargodha; Sindh Agriculture University; and the University of Lahore.  They will also visit key research institutes such as the Ayub Agricultural Research Institute.

This joint training and exchange initiative is led by Professor Mushtaq Ahmad of Quaid-i-Azam University and Professor Zhang Lixin, Chairman of the Silk Road Bio-Health Agricultural Industry Alliance at Northwest A&F University.  The program aims to foster graduate talent development, promote academic collaboration, and establish joint research centers focused on agricultural biodiversity and bio-resources under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP) — Pak-China