“And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thy own eye?”
Matthew 7:3

Karimov knocks out Rahmon?

Official Uzbek media keep downgrading Tajikistan’s Emomali Rahmon regime by reprinting online critical articles written by journalists who are, in fact, perfect “Uzbek state enemies.”

Nowadays, apart from finding disadvantages and ‘assisting’ in postponing the construction of the Roghun project in Tajikistan, Uzbek media representatives decided to impose themselves as ready-to-analyze independent online sources on the search for as much information as possible that tells of the Rahmon’s regime’s failures and lies.

One of them, Tashkentskaya Pravda (Tashkent Truth) allowed itself to publish an article from Paruskg.info website, which refers to Wikileaks information, entitled, “Apple Does Not Fall Far From The Tree.”

Shamsullo Gulov, author of the ‘kompromat’ starts with calling Wikileaks a “famous web site” that gives opinions of U.S. State Department employees regarding Rahmon’s family seizing control over main industrial and financial facilities in the counrty. Later on, the author says that the information provided by Wikileaks are “concrete facts.”

Well, first of all, the fact of using Wikileaks as a source of information is something out of reality for Uzbek media since Wikileaks itself, based on American diplomatic cables, called Karimov an “authoritarian leader” and linked his regime with the Uzbek mafia.

Secondly, while condemning the Rahmons social status and its control over main businesses in Tajikistan, the author forgets about one very important detail: Gulnara and Lola Karimov are very much in charge of sharing the same control over businesses in Uzbekistan, which was also rightfully revealed by American diplomats’ cables that were published by Wikileaks. One of the examples is Gulnara’s control over back then one of the most influential and powerful companies, Zeromax.

One by one, with peculiar sarcasm the author ‘discloses’ the facts that “Princess Tahmina,” Rahmon’s daughter, controls companies that are in charge of agricultural equipment import, as well as has her share in construction business.

“All these operations let her renew her motorpool more often than her lingerie collection,” an Uzbek journalist says, with not-well-hidden jealousy.

Here is a perfect moment to recall Gulnara Karimova’s ninth-richest status in the list of the wealthiest individuals of Switzerland.

Tajik No 2 — Rustam Rahmon, President’s son is Macho, President of the Tajik Football Federation and a member of the Asian Olympic Committee. He loves spending his time in brothels and casino’s affected by drugs. To the Uzbek journalist it is absurd to have a President’s child be so irresponsible and public at the same time — Gulnora should speak, right?

Shamsullo Gulov emphasizes that this situation happens in a country that has a 2.7 billion external debt and where 63% of the population (75% in reality, the author claims) is living below the poverty line with an average salary of $100. Probably Mr. Gulov forgot about the 5 billion external debt of Uzbekistan, and the $70-120 salary for average Uzbeks.

The author resumes his ‘masterpiece’ with a claim that while 1.5 million Tajik migrant workers work abroad to keep the population alive, their leader and his family live a posh life. By the way, the statistics are taken from Freedom House, another organization that was kicked out of Uzbekistan after the tragic events in Andijan, and whose reports on Uzbekistan are very critical of the human rights situation and, thus, are always very negatively commented on by the dictatorship regime.

To mention, according to official statistics from Russia’s Interfax Financial Market edition, among 10 million foreigners who migrated to Russia since January 2011, citizens of Uzbekistan make up to 14% of them (1.4 million).

To this I have nothing else to add but: “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” Actually, Karimov and Rahmon are not ‘brothers’ anymore. Not in this Presidential life.

Below: “Apple Does Not Fall Far From The Tree” by Tashkentskaya Pravda, January 18, 2012.