ISLAMABAD: US Ambassador to Pakistan David Hale along with the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) Rector Engineer Muhammad Asghar inaugurated the 12th Annual Fulbright and Humphrey Alumni conference organised by the United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP) and hosted by NUST. More than 200 alumni were welcomed in the conference. The conference was held from December 4-6 with a series of twelve seminars carried with round table discussions chaired by various scholars, Fulbright and Humphrey fellowship alumni and special guest speakers from the US Embassy in Pakistan and State Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs Washington DC. Ambassador Hale said “United States is deeply committed to relationship with Pakistan and we demonstrate this by making investments in Pakistan that foster its prosperity and the welfare of Pakistani society.” The Fulbright and Humphrey fellowship exchanges contribute to increase mutual understanding between America and Pakistan. The USEFP was established in 1950 by the governments of Pakistan and the United States. It is a bi-national commission that promotes increased academic and professional exchange between the United States and Pakistan. The Fulbright programme in Pakistan receives the largest amount of US government funding worldwide. Nearly 4,000 Pakistani alumni have participated in the Fulbright programme and 200 in the Humphrey fellowship. The Fulbright programme was named after the late US Senator J William Fulbright and funds for study and research to promote mutual understanding and cooperation between the people of the United States and the people of other countries across the world. The Hubert H Humphrey fellowship programme honors the memory and accomplishments of the late senator and vice president by bringing accomplished mid-career professionals with demonstrated leadership potential to the United States for a year of graduate-level, non-degree academic coursework and professional development activities. The United States invests $40 million annually on exchange programmes for Pakistani citizens and sends more than 1,300 Pakistanis to United States each year to participate in academic and professional programmes.