German Ambassador to Pakistan Ina Lepel on Monday said that Pakistan and Germany are enjoying good educational and economic ties that will pave the way to fight the common challenges of 21st century.

German Ambassador to Pakistan Ina Lepel on Monday said that Pakistan and Germany are enjoying good educational and economic ties that will pave the way to fight the common challenges of 21st century. She was talking to the University of Agriculture Faisalabad Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan during her visit to the varsity. She said that with growing population of about 200 million people, Pakistan is an interesting market. She said that ties in the academia, students and faculty exchange programme and trade were being furthers cemented. The German embassy is working with the Pakistani business community to strengthen German-Pakistan business institutions. She said that in Islamabad, they are training the trainers regarding German language that will help students study in her country. She called for practical application of the research in order to transform the knowledge into goods and services. She said that active participation of women was essential for sustainable growth. She lauded the steps being taken on the part of UAF in the area of education and research for promoting the agricultural sector. UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that many UAF faculty members had completed their degrees from the Germany. He said the university houses a satellite unit of a German funded International Center for Development and Decent Work (ICDD) to fight against global hunger and poverty through research and education. He said that further cooperation with German institutes will help in strengthening the agricultural sector which is directly linked to poverty alleviation. He said in Pakistan, the agriculture was the lifeline as the majority of the population was linked with the sector. He stressed the need of rural development and praised the government for increasing the funds for the uplift of rural areas. He said that the enrolled students have touched to 23,000. The ambassador also met the UAF faculty member who had returned from the Germany after completing their PhD degrees. She also visited the solar energy, farms and women complex of the varsity.