Uzbek President Islam Karimov’s daughter said Wednesday that her father was recovering from a brain hemorrhage, countering speculation that he had died.
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The government announced Sunday that the 78-year-old Karimov had been hospitalized, and his daughter issued a statement Monday saying he had suffered a brain hemorrhage. “At the moment it is too early to make any predictions about his future health”, she wrote on her Instagram page August 29. Karimov reportedly lost consciousness after consuming some alcohol at the banquet, the PMU said in a statement on its website.
“We do not have any confirmation of this information”, Sputnik cited Peskov as saying.
Following his recent health problems, prime-minister Shavkat Mirzioiev and vice-minister Rustam Azimov are the leading candidates in order to replace Mr. Karimov.
The country has struggled to keep up, in terms of average incomes, with its neighbors such as oil exporter Kazakhstan and at least 2 million Uzbeks are estimated to be working overseas, mostly in Russian Federation, to provide for their families. In that case, the former Soviet republic’s elite came together and chose a new president, the relatively unknown Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, a dentist, to take over.
Karimov’s younger daughter Lola preferred to keep a low profile. In 2013, Lola stated that she didn’t spoke to Gulnara for more than 12 years.
Karimov grew up in an orphanage in the ancient city of Samarkand and went on to study mechanical engineering and economics.
Karimov, who tolerates no dissent, has ruled Uzbekistan since Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev made him the republic’s Communist Party chief in 1989. The government may have overstated the Islamist threat to justify crackdowns on the opposition; the 2005 Andijan protests that ended with police killing hundreds were said by authorities to have been inspired by the IMU.
In the wake of the worldwide criticism over the alleged massacre, which Karimov’s regime rebuffed, Tashkent shut down a U.S. military base used to supply operations in neighbouring Afghanistan since 2001.
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“We value our relationship with Uzbekistan”, added Peskov.
