The four day conference "Dynamics and Revival of Silk Route: Perspective, Challenges & Opportunities", is being organised by the Centre of Central Asian Studies of the University from Thursday and experts from several countries will be attending the conference.

"Academicians from India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Japan, Turkey, Italy, France and the US are taking part in the conference’, said conference coordinator Mushtaq A Kaw.

Governor N N Vohra will open the conference and Azerbaijan’s ambassador to India, Dr Tamerlan Karayev will be the guest of honour at the conference, he said.

The conference attains significance as it is being held days ahead of the re-opening a traditional trade route that connects Kashmir to Central Asia after a gap of sixty years, Khabrein.info of India reported.

Jehlum Valley Road linking Srinagar with Muzaffarabad in Pakistani controlled Kashmir is being thrown open for trade on 21 October, first time after it was closed following the first India-Pakistan war of 1947.

"There will be a special session for discussion on the restoration of trans-Kashmir Silk Route network," Dr G.M Mir, head of the Centre of Central Asian Studies at the University, said.