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)