A two-day meeting of the Pakistan-India Joint Commission (JC)
will begin in Islamabad on Tuesday March 21 for the first time
after 17 years, Pakistan's foreign office said on Monday.
The Pakistan-India Joint Commission was established in March
1983 with the aim of providing beneficial cooperation in various
fields, according to the Pakistani foreign office. From 1983 to
1989, only three meetings of the JC were held.
During Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf's visit to
India in April 2005, the two sides decided to make the JC
reactivate.
The JC held consultations on October 4, 2005 in Islamabad and it
was decided to restructure its four existing sub-commissions of the
JC into eight technical level working groups on agriculture,
health, science and technology, information, education, IT and
telecommunications, environment and tourism. These working groups
will be headed by the joint secretaries.
"It is hoped that the revival of JC after 17 years will help in
improving the Pakistan-India bilateral relations which is necessary
for resolution of contentious issues including the Jammuand Kashmir
dispute between the two countries," the Pakistani foreign office
said.
The meetings of the working groups on environment and science
and technology will also be held in Islamabad on March 21 and 22
respectively.
(Xinhua News Agency March 21, 2006)
