Many mourners held flowers, mostly red roses, which they laid on the road as the funeral train, which set out at 6 a.m. local time, drove by on its way to the airport.
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President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday condoled the death of Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov who died on Friday due to brain haemorrhage.
Uzbekistan’s first and only president has died, leaving an uncertain future for a government marred by controversy.
In a statement ahead of President Islam Karimov’s burial Saturday, Uzbekistan’s government hailed the authoritarian leader as a statesman and democrat though he was widely criticized overseas for harsh repression of dissent.
Despite Karimov’s brutal record, Uzbekistan still receives USA aid and both Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian leader Vladimir Putin have jetted in for talks over the past year.
Karimov, who died at the age of 78, will be buried in his hometown of Samarkand, about 300 kilometers southwest of the capital, Tashkent.
His coffin has been placed in the Registan, the renowned square flanked on three sides by madrassahs covered in intricate, colourful tiles and topped with aqua cupolas.
Following the ceremony, Karimov’s body was taken to the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, another architecturally significant site, for burial next to his mother and brothers.
Karimov was one of a handful of Soviet strongmen who clung to power after their homelands gained independence from Moscow in 1991.
That enthusiasm isn’t shared by rights activists.
Dear countrymen, with deep sadness in our hearts we announce the death of our dear President Islam Abduganievech Karimov.
Uzbekistan is ex-Soviet central Asia’s most populous country and borders Afghanistan, making it of strategic interest to Russian Federation and the United States.
Alexei Pushkov, head of the Russian parliament’s foreign affairs committee, retorted on Twitter that Obama “is mistaken if he thinks this new chapter will be written in Washington”.
Worldwide critics, including Human Rights Watch, said voters had no real choice in the elections because the government restricts opposing political activity. Analysts have warned that the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan could exploit the uncertainty. Many have since joined the Taliban in Afghanistan and Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, where they have become battle-hardened.
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Under Uzbek law, senate head Nigmatulla Yuldashev would act as president until early elections are held.
