BEIJING, May 7: Pakistan has formally set up the Urdu Chair at Beijing University to promote Urdu language and provided information about the social and cultural life of Pakistan to Chinese students.

“The chair will work as an independent department to promote Pakistan’s cultural heritage and social life,” it was officially stated here on Wednesday. Professor Dr Asmat Naz has been appointed chairperson.

Sources told APP that the Chair has been set up under an agreement recently signed by the two countries and the step is a part of efforts to promote ‘people-to-people’ contacts. The chair will provide an opportunity to hold seminars and workshops on issues of common interests.

The two countries have taken various measures in the recent years to promote educational and cultural interactions among the relevant institutions.

The International Cooperation Department of China’s Ministry of Education has recently established the Confucius Institute in Islamabad in collaboration with the Pakistan National University of Modern Languages.

It is a non-profit public institution for promoting Chinese culture internationally and supporting the teaching of Chinese language outside China.—APP