Islamabad, Pakistan: The Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Pakistan HE Furqat Sidiqov along with Minister of State for Climate Change, Government of Pakistan Zartaj Gul inaugurated “Uzbekistan Tourist Information Centre” here on Sunday, reports DND News Agency from Islamabad.
“Uzbekistan Tourist Information Centre” would help further promote Uzbekistan and its tourism along with Uzbek culture in Pakistan by providing information, guidance, support, help and contacts for tourism promotion as well as for educational and business opportunities present in Uzbekistan for people of Pakistan.
Since Uzbekistan is the only country for Central Asia having direct flight contact (regular flights from Pakistan to Tashkent), therefore this Information Centre is being considered as Gateway to Central Asia.
A large number of experts from tourism industry, senior bureaucrats, members of academia and journalists attended the ceremony.
Addressing the ceremony Minister of State for Climate Change, Government of Pakistan Zartaj Gul was of the view that Central Asia has strongest cultural, historical and even genetic relations with Pakistan and Uzbekistan being the homeland of Sufism, cultural, art, science and philosophy is cradle of Muslim civilization.
She maintained that Pakistan and Uzbekistan enjoy strong bilateral relations as well as people to people contacts and cultural relations. She expressed her desire to visit Uzbekistan to finding out her roots as she believes that people are Pakistan and strongly linked with Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara historically.
She was of the view that Pakistan government and government of Uzbekistan are working in several field together and are learning from experience of each other in several field of knowledge. She stated that education, climate change and tourism are one of several fields where both the countries are collaborating with each other.
The Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Pakistan Mr Furqat Sidiqov while addressing the event said that Pakistanis should feel that Uzbekistan is their second home as people of both the countries are strongly linked with each other through shared history, culture and customs.
Talking about “Uzbekistan Tourist Information Centre”, the Ambassador said that the Centre would provide information about educational institutions of Uzbekistan, business opportunities in Uzbekistan as well as tourism products and travel opportunities in Uzbekistan.
Calling him Centre as hub information, he stated that the Centre will also play a pivotal role to further enhance people to people contact between Uzbekistan and Pakistan.
He informed participants that Tashkent University had recently signed a MoU with Faisalabad University and such initiatives of both the countries are playing excellent role for connecting students and academia of both the countries.
The Ambassador said that Uzbekistan provided excellent opportunities to people of Pakistan in several field including business, education, travel and transport.
“Located in Civic Centre of Bharia Town Phase 4, Rawalpindi Islamabad, the Information Centre will be a one window operation where one can get information from study opportunities in Uzbekistan to business opportunities as well as for visiting Uzbekistan,” said Project Director of Uzbekistan Tourist Information Centre while addressing the event.
He maintained that FlyDubai is also starting flight operations from Pakistan to Tashkent in the month of March 2019 and then Tashkent will be linked with other cities of Pakistan as while this time direct flight from Lahore to Tashkent is being operated.
Project Director Hamid Mahmoud said that Information Centre will manned by a team of experts in travel and tourism, business and studies opportunities.
Chief Editor of Dispatch News Desk (DND) News Agency, Agha Iqrar Haroon while addressing the event said that Uzbekistan is the land of opportunities for youth of Pakistan in the field of education and business and this central Asian country provided best possible opportunities for travel and tourism purposes. He stated that security and tourism infrastructure of Uzbekistan is better than several countries of Europe and Pakistani people must take opportunity to travel to Uzbekistan to find their roots and their culture.
