Uzbek ambassador Furqat Sidiqov hosted a cultural programme at the Uzbek embassy marking the birth anniversary of the country’s national poet Nizomiddin Mir Alisher Navoi, who was born in February 1441 and died in 1501.

The anniversary of another poet, education, statesman and military leader Zakhiriddin Mohammad Babur (1483-1526) was also marked.

Navoi is celebrated for his mystic Sufi poetry and his many writings. He is also seen as a key developer of the Uzbek language, which has several thousand words in common with Urdu.

Prof Aftab Kazi, a Central Asia specialist, gave a short lecture at the event. He commended Uzbekistan’s economic development in spite of the many changes that came with the end of the Soviet Union. During that era, Pakistan and Uzbekistan had little interaction or cultural cooperation.

However, this is no longer the case. Last month, the Pak-Uzbekistan Forum, which is chaired by Agha Iqrar Haroon of the News Dispatch Network, was established, and a business forum will soon follow.

Uzbekistan Airways is also planning to open direct flights between Karachi and Tashkent this summer.

“Although I enjoyed the lecture session, I thought Uzbek food was an even better part of the event,” a young academic saif.

A diplomat at the event highlighted the authenticity of the food, and added that the weather in Uzbekistan is similar to Pakistan’s this time of the year, although the winters are colder.

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2016