Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday termed Pakistan’s relation with Uzbekistan ‘an exciting beginning’ of a journey of cooperation, linking the two nations closer.

“You will see people-to-people, trade and political relationship growing stronger,” the prime minister said in an interview to the Uzbek media in the historic city of Bukhara.

The prime minister said Uzbekistan and the Indian sub-continent had a historic connection as the descendants of Amir Taimur ruled the region for 300 years.

He said the upcoming rail project between Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan would connect the people of the areas and boost development.

Imran Khan and his delegation earlier visited the mausoleum of Bahauddin Naqshband, the founder of the Naqshbandi Sufi order, where they offered fateha.

The prime minister was accompanied by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Information Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi, National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf and Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Minister for Information Technology Atif Khan.

The prime minister paid a two-day official visit to Uzbekistan from July 15-16 to represent Pakistan at the Central and South Asia Conference held in Tashkent, where he also held sideline meetings with the Uzbek leadership and other dignitaries.

He concluded his trip by visiting the historic cities of Samarkand and Bukhara, where he visited the mausoleums of great Islamic scholars.

A day earlier, addressing the inaugural session of the international conference on “Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity; Challenges and opportunities”, he said the two regions form a natural contagious landmass and have all the more reasons to reconnect with each other.

The common geography, geo-economic dynamics, and cultural ethos favoured connectivity between the two regions for creating a win-win situation for all.

The prime minister highlighted enormous natural and human resources potential and big consumer markets of the two regions, which could transform lives of their people.