Islam Karimov

This is the official Uzbek government biography of President Islam Karimov, for your reading pleasure!

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Islam Abdughanievich Karimov was born on 30 January 1938 in Samarkand. His father was an office worker. After finishing school, he entered the Central Asian Politechnical Institute and received the profession of a mechanical engineer. Later he graduated from the Tashkent Institute of National Economy. He has a number of scientific publications, a doctorate in Economics and is the Honorary Doctor of a number of foreign universities.

Islam Karimov's working career started at the Tashkent Farm Machinery Plant where he worked as an assistant foreman and technologist foreman. A considerable part of his life is linked with the Tashkent Aircraft-Making Plant -- a major manufacturer of cargo planes in the former USSR, where Islam Karimov worked as an engineer and leading design engineer. From 1966 on, Islam Karimov worked as a government employee, initially at the State Planning Committee of Uzbekistan, where he went all the way through from leading specialist of a department to the first Vice Chairman of the State Planning Committee.

In 1983 Islam Karimov was appointed Minister of Finance of Uzbekistan, in 1986, Vice Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Deputy Head of Government) and simultaneously Chairman of the State Planning Committee. In June 1989 Islam Karimov actually headed the Republic after being elected First Secretary of the Uzbekistan Communist Party Central Committee. He deserves all merit for reformation of the Communist Party and its transformation into the People's Democratic Party (November 1991)with a completely new ideology and policy.

On 24 March 1990, Islam Karimov was elected President of the Republic at the Session of the Supreme Council of the Uzbek SSR. On 29 December1991, Islam Karimov again won the mandate of the people at the first nation-wide presidential elections held on an alternative basis. More than 86 per cent of the constituency voted in his favor. President Islam Karimov is married. His spouse, Tatyana Akbarovna, is a researcher at the Institute of Economy under the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan. They have two daughters and a grandson.

A portrait of Islam Karimov: President, dedicated citizen, and a splendid human being. Some people would call him a no-nonsense pragmatist. Others consider him an individual who does not believe in compromises, while there are those who refer to him as the "Talleyrand of the East." There are probably as many opinions of him as there are people. No matter what comparison or epithet is used, none can ever provide a full picture of any individual, especially an individual like Islam Karimov. Therefore, one may well ask what kind of person the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan really is.

In order to formulate a precise answer to that question, one would need to wait around a few decades. For, only when one can look down from the heights of history, only when one can observe the passing of time and the transition of generations, can one offer a true assessment of this individual. Nonetheless, although this precise answer will be available only to later generations, there is no denying the uniqueness, the brilliance and the strength of the leader of the Uzbek nation. In the course of his 59 years, President Karimov has experienced more than what could be packed into ten lifetimes. The reference here is not to humdrum existence but rather to the lives of gifted, determined, and courageous persons.

Karimov has always been a leader and has pursued his career ambitions without anyone making the way any easier for him but rather by dutifully attending the courses offered by the School of Hard Knocks. Anyone who has meets Karimov -- friends, colleagues, and even rivals -- knows these two facts.

He was born in Samarkand into a family whose lifestyle was not much different from that of others in the immediate surroundings: pilaff once a week, and tea and flatcakes on weekdays. His family led a frugal existence, like the majority of families in Samarkand. However, what distinguished the Karimov family was its traditional approach to parenting. Islam Karimov has taken one of the maxims that he learned from his parents and has incorporated it in every aspect of his life. Although simply worded, it conveys a very wise message: "Until you have constructed a new house, do not destroy the old one."

Karimov's life has certainly been no bed of roses. He lives and works in accordance with a unique, goal oriented rhythm that expresses abundant energy and profound thought, which is relentless and strenuous.

After graduating from the Central Asian Polytechnic Institute, he began working in heavy industry. The next step was leadership of the republic�s central organs. As an economist and analyst, Karimov was able to observe at close hand the flaws in the Soviet economic system. In contrast to his colleagues, he was not afraid to speak openly of these flaws before the leaders of the regime. In the process he earned a reputation for being an "enfant terrible" in the eyes of the now defunct State Planning Commission of the USSR, as well as in the eyes of the upper echelons of the Communist Party in Tashkent. Nonetheless, appreciating his professionalism and his ability to analyze and to single-handedly find the correct solution to even the knottiest problems, a number of high placed people tried to advise him: "Bend a little, Islam. Stop arguing with everybody. O.K., so you're right. Big deal. The system will only make minced meat of you in the long run."

Nevertheless, Karimov was not prepared to give in, not even one inch. Nor was he prepared to alter his opinions or to abandon his own particular viewpoint on issues such as the development of the Uzbek republic�s economy, the social policies being implemented at the time, and the way of life of his compatriots. Because of his uncompromising, courageous stand, the system and life itself dealt him savage, at times nearly unbearable, blows. However, he stood his ground and showed everyone that he had the guts to keep on fighting. In the meantime, he enriched his life with valuable experience and pursued his individualistic course with courage and with compassion for others. His personality clearly expressed itself at Fergana, at Osh and, using today�s terminology, at other "hot points of friction."

In light of what has happened in this region over the past number of years, it can be unequivocally stated that it was Islam Karimov alone who countered international opposition, extinguished flames that threatened the outbreak of civil war, saved the lives of thousands of people, and secured peace and security for Uzbekistan as well as for its neighbors, with their multinational populations numbering in the millions. At the risk of his own life, he engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the fanaticism and unbridled frenzy that were trying to explode this blessed land from within.

The life of an individual develops along the same lines as a house. The stronger the frame and the more professional the bricklayer, the more stable the wall that is erected. The same can be said about Karimov�s life. The education he received as a child from his parents was perceptibly characterized by strength and by a constant search for truth. Adult life, with its daily challenges and rough spots, and the lack of understanding on the part of his colleagues completed the formation of his character and crystallized his personality.

Has Karimov had his share of mistakes? Most certainly. However, whereas the knocks and blows that life deals makes some people more submissive, makes them bend, even breaks their spirit, these knocks and blows have only served to strengthen Karimov, as can be seen in the five principles he has declared as essential for the development of Uzbekistan as a full-fledged independent nation. He calls for the amalgamation of the following five elements in the Uzbek nation: its mentality, its traditions, its collective experience, its accumulated body of knowledge and its special gift for long-range thinking.

When he presented these five principles, many (more precisely, most) politicians regarded them as a form of populism that the leader of the young Uzbek republic was utilizing in order to consolidate his position at the helm. However, as it became increasingly clear that the five principles were becoming an integral part of life in Uzbekistan, the voices of skeptics and political rivals became weaker and weaker.

Karimov learned of his election victory while he was still aboard the plane that was bringing him home in late December 1991 after grueling top level political talks. On hearing the news, the president-elect was overjoyed: he had received the recognition of the people of Uzbekistan, who were expressing their faith in his leadership, who were willing to follow him into the future, and who were very proud to have someone of his caliber as the head of their government. In one of his initial statements as President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov outlined the basic direction for the strategic course that has been pursued by his country since becoming independent: "Uzbekistan is a country with a great future. Our sovereign, democratic state, which operates in accordance with constitutional law, is founded on the principles of humanism, and guarantees the rights and freedom of all its citizens, irrespective of nationality, religious creed, social class or political beliefs."

Tactics are inseparable from strategy, and vice versa. In laying the constitutional foundations of his government together with his colleagues, Karimov has avoided "instant solutions," "quick fixes" and "shock treatment" as he confidently grips the wheel of a mighty ship -- the Republic of Uzbekistan. This vessel has overcome deadly reefs and withstood mighty storms during the country's transition period, and is now on the open sea as it gathers the wind in its sails and as it daily increases speed. However, it should be noted, this imagery is supported by concrete facts.

In the six years since attaining independence, Uzbekistan has transformed itself from an appendage supplying the raw material needs of the Soviet Union into a well-developed agrarian-industrial state. The country is practically on the point of being completely independent as far as its oil and grain needs are concerned, the mining of high quality gold and natural gas has dramatically increased in volume, and new fields of production, such as the manufacture of automobiles, have opened up. Inflation has been reduced to an acceptable minimum and the national currency is growing stronger. All of the reforms introduced and inspired by Karimov's political vision are intended to promote peace, socioeconomic stability and national prosperity.

Islam Karimov is universally recognized for his ability as a politician to stand up for his point of view and to attain the goals he has set for himself. His calls for a speedy termination of the civil war in Afghanistan and restoration of stability in Tajikistan were enthusiastically supported by dozens of nations and were approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations.

Much has been said here about Karimov's merits. However, what about his shortcomings? One could say that he is at times short-tempered, that he a great deal from those who work under him and that he does not know how to take a vacation. In his view, the time is not yet ripe for vacation time, although he would dearly love to have some free time to himself: "How much responsibility can I take upon myself as President? In the West, many political leaders have normal lives. They have their scheduled working days, but they also have their weekends, their vacations, their �breathers.' However, they live in societies whose intermeshing structures and systems allow the country to function even when its leader is on holiday. And, I must admit, I dream of a time when I can allow myself the luxury of taking a vacation."

Despite his strenuous schedule, Karimov is a happy individual. He has a harmonious, wonderful family whose day-to-day concerns are handled by his wife, Tatyana Akbarovna, a researcher with the Economics Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Among his most joyful moments are those that he spends with his brilliant young grandson.

Islam Karimov -- President, dedicated citizen, and a splendid human being.
 

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