PM Modi pays floral tributes to first President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov

Samarkand, Sep 16: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Friday paid a floral tribute to Islam Karimov, who ruled Uzbekistan for almost three decades. He passed away in 2016.

Karimov was one of a handful of Soviet strongmen that clung to power after their homelands gained independence from Moscow in 1991.

Karimov portrayed himself as a guarantor of stability and bulwark against radical Islam on the borders of Afghanistan, crushing fundamentalist groups at home.

Born on January 30, 1938, Karimov was raised in an orphanage in the ancient city of Samarkand, before studying mechanical engineering and economics and rising up Communist Party ranks.

During his first visit to Central Asian countries in 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with Islam Karimov on key bilateral and regional issues including the situation in Afghanistan.

The two countries inked three pacts to boost cooperation between their foreign offices and in the field of culture and tourism.

India and Uzbekistan have built a strategic partnership on the foundation of mutual respect and shared interests.

PM Modi also presented President Islam Karimov a specially commissioned reproduction of Khamsa-i-Khusrau by the great 13th century sufi poet Amir Khusrau who was born in Uttar Pradesh and whose father hailed from Uzbekistan.

Written in Persian, and profusely decorated and illuminated with various colours including gold and ultramarine, the work is a part of the manuscripts collection of National Museum, Delhi.