Islamabad (GNP): Yusuf Sharifzoda, Tajikistan’s Ambassador to Pakistan, paid a visit to Prof. Dr. Najeeba Arif, Chairperson of the Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL). Maruf Abdurahmon, Deputy Head of Mission at the Tajik Embassy, and Dr. Bibi Ameena, PAL’s Deputy Director, also attended the meeting.
Talks centered on strengthening literary, historical, cultural, and academic links between the two countries, with both sides looking at potential areas for cooperation and the possibility of joint literary and research ventures.
Ambassador Sharifzoda described Pakistan and Tajikistan as essentially one people, united by centuries of shared cultural, intellectual, and civilizational history. He said the cultural and historical legacy preserved in Pakistan belongs equally to both nations, and stressed the importance of working together to protect and promote that heritage for coming generations.
He also spoke warmly about Allama Muhammad Iqbal, noting that the poet-philosopher commands deep reverence in Tajikistan, where hundreds of people have committed his collected works, Kulliyat-e-Iqbal, to memory. Sharifzoda said Iqbal’s ideas remain very much alive among the Tajik people and continue to serve as an intellectual and cultural thread connecting the two nations.
The Ambassador extended a formal invitation to Prof. Dr. Najeeba Arif to attend an international conference in Dushanbe in October 2026, expressing hope that she would also present a research paper at the event.
In her remarks, Prof. Dr. Najeeba Arif called for deeper collaboration between the two countries at the literary and cultural level, saying that joint literary projects, translation initiatives, academic exchanges, and literary delegations are essential to building a stronger foundation for regional intellectual and cultural harmony.
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The conversation also touched on ways to bring the literary heritage of both countries to wider global audiences, with both sides agreeing that translation activities and collaborative research hold particular promise. There was broad consensus that literature and culture are among the most effective tools for building genuine people-to-people ties and deepening mutual understanding.
The meeting ended on a warm note. Ambassador Sharifzoda presented Prof. Dr. Najeeba Arif with a commemorative gift from Tajikistan, while the PAL Chairperson reciprocated with copies of her own publications alongside a selection of PAL titles.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
