Govt to bear cost of Pakistanis studying agriculture in China, says PM Shehbaz

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed the authorities concerned to ensure a transparent and merit-based selection of the students to be sent to China for modern training in the agriculture sector.The premier stated this during a review meeting regarding Pakistani students, who will go to China for training in modern agriculture techniques.The prime minister, chairing a meeting, directed the formation of a committee to address the grievances of the students who did not meet the standard during the scrutiny.Calling China a time-tested friend of Pakistan and praising its development in the agriculture sector, he told the participants that during his China visit, he had requested the Chinese leaders for the modern training of Pakistani students in the agriculture sector.He said the government of Pakistan would bear the expenses of the students’ training and the first batch would soon leave for China. A 10 percent quota has been allocated for Balochistan among the students to be selected for the training, he added.Prime Minister Shehbaz also thanked the Chinese leaders and universities for allowing the Pakistani students.In the meeting, the prime minister was told that 1,287 students had applied through a portal out of which 711 – including those from Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan – met the criteria.The students would be sent to China in two batches. Scheduled to leave for China in March this year, the first batch of 300 students will receive training in improving irrigation, diagnosing and monitoring veterinary diseases, veterinary breeding and genetics, and modern seed preparation and processing.The second batch of 400 students will leave for China by mid-year to be trained in the use of modern agricultural machinery, rapid crop growth, and modern agricultural technology, including artificial intelligence and the processing of fruits and vegetables.Federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Tanveer Hussain, and Ahad Khan Cheema, the Higher Education Commission chairman, and other officers attended the meeting.