ISLAMABAD ( WNAM REPORT): Pakistan and Uzbekistan’s centuries-old cultural, literary, and spiritual ties took center stage at a book launching ceremony held in Islamabad on Thursday, with both sides pledging to deepen cooperation in culture, heritage, and education.
Federal Minister for National Heritage and Culture, Aurangzeb Khan Khichi, said Pakistan and Uzbekistan are connected through historical bonds deeply rooted in shared history and civilization. He highlighted that the historic cities of Samarkand and Bukhara represent a common literary and historical heritage between the two countries.
Speaking at the launch of “Short Stories of the 20th Century”and the “Urdu-Uzbek Similar Words Dictionary”, Khichi noted that Uzbekistan and Pakistan’s rich legacy is spiritually and culturally linked with Lahore, the heart of Pakistan’s literary and artistic traditions.
“The shared heritage of the two countries reflects centuries of interaction in Sufism, poetry, art, and literature. The fragrance of this civilizational connection can still be felt today despite the passage of time,” he said.
The minister emphasized that Uzbekistan and the wider Central Asian region have maintained a distinguished relationship with Pakistan across generations, and these links are now being passed to younger generations. He stressed the role of poets, writers, and scholars in promoting unity, harmony, and mutual understanding, and called for cultural diplomacy, literary exchanges, and people-to-people contacts to enhance bilateral relations.
Pakistan, he added, remains committed to deepening cooperation with Uzbekistan in culture, heritage preservation, education, and the arts to strengthen regional connectivity and mutual understanding.
Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Pakistan, H.E. Alisher Tukhtaev, said the event marked the first presentation in 2026 of the two literary works: the “Urdu-Uzbek Similar Words Dictionary” by scholar and diplomat Toshmirza Kholmirzayev, and “Short Stories of the 20th Century”_translated into Urdu by scholars of the Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies.
He praised authors Kholmirzayev and Muhayyo Abdurakhmonova for their contributions, noting that the dictionary is the result of years of scholarly research and reflects the linguistic closeness between Uzbek and Urdu.
“This dictionary will serve as an important practical guide for students, teachers, translators, and researchers. It will help readers understand commonly used words and appreciate the closeness between the two languages,” he said.
The short story collection includes nearly 50 works by prominent Uzbek writers including Abdullah Qahhor, Said Ahmad, Saida Zunnunova, O‘tkir Hoshimov, and Shukur Kholmirzayev, translated by professors from the Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies.
Ambassador Tukhtaev said the books would boost interest in Uzbek literature in Pakistan and foster creative cooperation between writers and poets of both countries. He recalled that in 2025, presentations were held in Pakistan for three books on the activities of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
He thanked the National Language Promotion Department of Pakistan for its support in organizing the event.
