Uzbekistan is the cradle of
ancient religious culture. In the eighth century, it was enlightened with the
light of Islam. In the 13th century, the Mongol Empire took control over
Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan while Kyrgyzstan was inhabited with Kyrgyz’s
generation. Changez Khan and Halako Khan were the big conqueror among Mongol
empire. There was not central Government after Mongols; gradually this region
went over by Russians. Eventually, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan were
incorporated as a republic in Russia on 1925 and 1936 respectively. Tajikistan
is older than the history of the region in 3000 BC. This area was occupied by
the Persians in the seventh century but after the arrival of the Arabs in the
eighth century it became the hold of Islam. Afterward in the nineteenth century,
Uzbek, Afghan, Mongol and Russian were the ruler of the region. In 1929,
Tajikistan was integrated into the Soviet Union. Turkmenistan was under the
influence of the Turkish tribes in the tenth century and turn into a part of
Russian Turkistan in 1881 whereas it became as republic in Soviet Union in 1925.
On October 1917, the communists headed by Lenin ruined the Russian Regime and
established a Communist government. After the death of Lenin in January 1924,
Joseph Stalin became a strongman of Russia and remained its ruler till March
1953. After that Khrushchev was nominated as secretary of central committee of
Soviet Union. In the fifty, sixty and seventy decades communists extended their
power in different parts of the world. In the same era, Russian imperialism
surrounded Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Czechoslovak. In the seventy decades,
communists defeated the United States in North Vietnam. In 1979, Russian forces
entered in Afghanistan in the pretext of helping the government against the
rebels. But this aggression proved to be the last error of Russians when Afghan
Mujahidin with the help of other world made the Afghanistan a Russians Cemetery.
Eventually, defeated Russia had to be called back its army from Afghanistan
according to Geneva Agreement in 1989. Meanwhile, a great State of Soviet Union
had collapsed. On March 1985, Gorbachev was nominated leader of Russia.
According to contemporary, he began the implementation of Glasnost and
Perestroika’s programs liberally. The followers of Communism in Russia opposed
Gorbachev policies; As a result, an attempt was thwarted to bring communist
revolution. Anyhow, many republics of preceding Soviet Union declared its
independence. It was the practical beginning of the fall of the great empire.
September 2, 1991 Gorbachev confessed that the country is on the brink of
collapse so he resigned on 25, December. One day later, on 25, December 1991
Soviet Union had broken into many states. As a result of this division, the
following independent Muslim states of Central Asia came into being: Uzbekistan,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. The region has neighboring
borders with South Asia, West Asia and is bounded on the north by Russia and on
the south by Iran, Afghanistan, and China is of great geo-strategic and
politico-economic importance.
After division, the whole Geo-political scenario has changed. Central Asia has
more importance now, in this strategic world especially in Asia other than any
region of the world. Pakistan obtained outstanding notice of the geo-strategic
importance of Central Asian states in the changed security paradigm after the
end of the Cold War. Preliminary efforts by Pakistan to make some inroad into
Central Asia may not have succeeded because of its unclear foreign strategy
objectives, but Pakistan remained as a significant player in the region.
Pakistan’s quest for security, escorted to its involvement in Central Asia much
before that region emerged as independent states in 1991. Pakistan is one the
first countries who accepted the independence of Central Asia with open heart
and established diplomatic ties with it. Pakistani people’s cultural and
religious relations with the Uzbek are centuries-old history. Tashkent got much
popularity when there President Gen. Ayub khan and Indian Prime Minister Shastri
signed an agreement after war 1965 on January 1966. In 1992, Pakistan and
Uzbekistan sighed agreements for cooperation of trade, communication, railway,
and banks. On June 1993, PM Nawaz Sharif visited and signed an agreement in
Tashkent for the purpose to promote the political, economic, cultural and
scientific connections between two nations. On November 1992 Uzbekistan and
Kyrgyzstan get nearer to Pakistan after becoming the regular member of ECO. Both
Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan are working globally on peace building and social
justice. In 1992 Kazakhstan’s President visited Pakistan and signed on five
agreements to promote mutual aid between both nations.
Geographically, Tajikistan is the closest Central Asian State to Pakistan and a
thin strip of an area of Afghanistan separates it from Pakistan. In 2005, the
Pak-Tajik relations entered into a new era of progress and development with the
launch of Tajik Embassy in Islamabad. Tajikistan is the only Persian speaking
country and the inhabitants of this mountainous country have deep centuries-old
cultural, linguistic and religious ties with Pakistan. It is very significant
that during the civil war in Tajikistan, Pakistan hosted Tajikistan refugees for
several years, particularly support, which was provided by government of
Pakistan for Tajik students in Pakistan. Pakistan and Tajikistan have signed
agreements, protocols and memorandums of understanding (MoU’s) to enlarge
cooperation in many sectors on the basis of shared equal opportunity and to
increase the current level of trade. Financial institutes and international
organizations have assured their support for the energy transmission line
project via Phule-Khumri and Kabul areas to Pakistan, for the purpose to export
electricity from Tajikistan. Both countries also settled to cooperate in field
of explorations, mining and dealing out of gas and oil products. Building of
Totkhum-Jalalabad road in Afghanistan is an endeavor to establish a land rout
with Tajikistan. Tajikistan has also spiritual and religious ties with Pakistan
apart from other relations. Great saint /Sufi Hadrat Syed Amir Kabir Ali Hamdani
also known as Hadrat Shah-e-Hamdan preached Islam throughout the sub-continent
and Central Asia. The shrine of this saint is located in Kulyab city of
Tajikistan. Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal also highlighted its significance.
Tajikistan and Pakistan are promoting cultural relations and the old deep
historical universal roots to strengthen Pak-Tajik relations and to transform
them into improved collaboration in a broad range of areas. Tajikistan is in a
dreadful need of access to the world through Pakistani port like Gwadar, and
Pakistan is also seems to be to import Tajik power to its northern areas, as
Tajikistan has the massive Hydro-power potentials and cheapest electricity in
the world. In 1994, President of Turkmenistan visited Pakistan and signed on
some agreements like science and technology, sports, visas and to promote the
diplomatic relationship. People of Turkmenistan and Pakistan have profound
historic connections in religion, politics and culture.
Presently, Both regions have signed agreements on various developmental sectors
like energy, investments ,communications, insurance, industry, air transport,
financial and banking, agricultural and food industry, transport, constructions
of roads, science and technology, education, tourism, health and culture to
promote foreign relations and cooperation. Both are the joint doorway for
strategic progress and Central Asia is nucleus region for Pakistan to advance
its trade and economic conditions in future.