India to invite Pak students for science congress

The decision is the outcome of an India-Pakistan Joint Commission meeting during the visit of External Affairs Minister S M Krishna to Islamabad earlier this month.

India has decided to invite 15 Pakistani students for a children's science congress scheduled to be held in Bhubaneswar later this year, officials said.

As part of the confidence building measures, Indian scientists would travel to Pakistan to participate in a joint workshop on traditional medicine.

Pakistani scientists would attend a joint workshop on renewable energy that would be hosted by India.

The joint statement issued after the talks between Krishna and his Pakistan counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar states that the working group on science and technology discussed National Science, Technology Innovation System in Pakistan and India.

"They agreed to work on common areas of interest by holding joint workshops/seminars and short training programmes. They identified areas of medicinal plants and herbal medicines (in Pakistan), renewable energy (in India) and standards for such collaboration," the statement said.

India and Pakistan also agreed to participate in each other's science popularisation programs and activities.

A delegation of scientists from the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) visited Islamabad in January.

The gesture was reciprocated this month by Islamabad when a Pakistan Academy of Science delegation led by its President Atta-ur Rahman attended a conference hosted by INSA.