Daily Times

Pakistan and Uzbekistan have always ideal and friendly relations between the two brotherly Muslim countries. These relations are based on mutual understanding, strong cultural and religious ties. The two countries are committed to forging closer ties in areas such as trade, investment, energy and people-to-people contacts and people-to-people exchanges at the cultural level. The recent visit of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Pakistan is welcome in the sense that it has improved relations between the two countries. Pakistan and Uzbekistan have signed 10 agreements on cooperation in various fields, including railways, security, preferential trade, climate change and religious tourism. Uzbekistan and Pakistan have the same position on Islamophobia. Pakistan and Uzbekistan, with their historic presence on the ancient Silk Road, are now keen to work together to prove their strong presence in the region’s emerging realities, especially in economic development projects. The two countries share many values in their culture and way of life. In Urdu too, about 4,000 words have come from Uzbek.

To strengthen cultural ties between Pakistan and Uzbekistan, the two countries have also decided to make a film on Zaheeruddin Babar, the founder of the Mughal dynasty in India. Very few people will know that Zaheeruddin Babar, the founder of the Mughal Empire, was born in Ijan, a city in Uzbekistan. Establishing cultural and humanitarian interactions with Pakistan is in line with Uzbekistan’s tourism promotion plans, which are necessary to create the necessary and highly favorable conditions for increasing tourist arrivals with natural interest from Muslim states.

The first virtual meeting between the Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan and the President of Uzbekistan Shaukat took place in Bishkek in 2019 on the sidelines of the 19^th session of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO member states. Later, in 2019, they met at the BRI forum in Beijing. Earlier, Uzbek Foreign Minister Dr. Abdulaziz Kamilov paid a two-day visit to Pakistan from March 9 to 10, 2021. Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Sergei Omar Zakhayev paid a one-day visit to Pakistan in February last year. The 50% increase in Pak-Uzbek trade in just one year is highly commendable, while the joint efforts of the two countries to normalize the situation in Afghanistan will surely prove fruitful.

Of course, Pakistan needs to develop trade relations with the countries of Central Asia and the Middle East, including Uzbekistan, and in this regard, not only agreements should be made but also implemented. The quality of Uzbek cotton is very good. Russia, China and Europe are major buyers of Uzbek cotton. Uzbekistan gets more crops with less water. We can get this technology too. The cooperation of Uzbek experts in the cotton sector could be crucial to increase cotton production across Pakistan, including Punjab. According to recent agreements, the agricultural universities of Punjab and Uzbekistan will also be brought closer to each other and delegations from both sides will visit the universities which will help each other in the field of research. Power plant technology came to Uzbekistan during the Soviet era. Special expertise was created in the power generation sector. There are still thousands of power plant engineers in Uzbekistan, and it has been selling electricity to Afghanistan since 2005. We can get this technology from it and also cheap electricity.

Bilateral diplomatic, trade and cultural relations between Pakistan and Uzbekistan have been established since 1991, with the current trade volume between the two countries being 32 32.5 million in exports and 0. 0.276 billion in imports. Enhancing economic cooperation between the two countries is a positive step which has great potential for growth. Pakistan is an important bridge for Uzbekistan to enter major markets in South Asia and the world. The construction of Tirmidhi, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kabul and Peshawar railways will not only boost trade, economic and investment cooperation but also strengthen the bilateral ties between the two regions. Maintaining cultural ties is also an important condition for building and developing strong and long-term relations between the two countries in the fields of economy, politics and security. With these factors in mind, Uzbekistan is pursuing a new roadmap for strengthening cultural dialogue with Pakistan, with the hope that relations between the two countries will reach new heights.

The guest president also vowed in a media talk to vote for Pakistan to become a non-permanent member in the 2025 and 2026 sessions of the UN Security Council. In the context of President Shaukat Mirziyoyev’s talk of enhancing strategic relations with Pakistan and Prime Minister Imran Khan’s endorsement of his position, it is clear that if all countries in the region, including Afghanistan, If there were opportunities to get closer to each other in the future, it would be a great achievement for Pakistan.

Relations between Pakistan and Uzbekistan are based on mutual trust and interests. The two countries have reaffirmed their support for each other in all regional and international forums. In addition to sharing common interests in Afghanistan, the two countries equally want economic assistance to be provided to Afghans through regional trade and development initiatives. Both Pakistan and Uzbekistan have realized that a stable Afghanistan is in the best interests of the region because unless lasting peace is established in Afghanistan, regional stability efforts there will not last long. Currently, the political leadership of the two countries is on the path of mutual trade and cooperation in various fields. There is also a need to further strengthen people-to-people contacts through tourism, scholarships and exchange of cultural delegations between the two countries. Utilizing the existing potential, Uzbekistan and Pakistan will also be able to play a significant role in the economic development of Central and South Asia.

The author is a freelancer and writes on political developments and security issues with special focus on South Asia and the region.