142nd birth anniversary of Allama Iqbal celebrated

ISLAMABAD: The 142nd birth anniversary of poet and philosopher Dr Allama Muhammad Iqbal was celebrated across the country on Saturday with national zeal and enthusiasm.

Special prayers were offered in mosques countrywide for development and prosperity of the country from early morning.

People paid tribute to Allama Iqbal, who conceived the idea of Pakistan to get a separate homeland in Muslim majority areas of the sub-continent.

The services of a multi-dimensional personality; philosopher, ideologist and social activist, he was also admired for his unmatched literary services and character building of the Muslim Ummah.

Special programmes were arranged by different literary, political, social, educational and cultural organizations to pay homage to Iqbal besides highlighting different aspects of his poetry and message. 

Kalam-e-Iqbal contest, speech competitions, seminars, symposiums that covered all the aspects of his life and philosophy, were held in different educational institutes including schools, colleges and universities where speakers threw light on different aspects of his life and poetry.

His best literary work includes Asrar-e-Khudi, Payam- i-Mashriq, Bang-i-Dara, Bal-i-Jibril, Zarb-i-Kalim and Armughan-e-Hijaz.

A graceful change of guard ceremony was held at mausoleum of Dr Allama Muhammad Iqbal in Lahore.

A smartly turned out contingent of Pakistan Navy took charge of the guard duties.

The Station Commander of Pakistan Navy, Commodore Naimatullah Khan, who was the chief guest of the ceremony, laid floral wreath at the Mazar and offered fateha.

Born in Sialkot on November 9, 1877, Dr Allama Iqbal had foreseen that only solution of problems being faced by the Muslims in the subcontinent was a separate homeland.

Allama Iqbal is officially recognized as national poet of Pakistan and known as Muffakir-e-Pakistan, Shair-e-Mashriq and Hakeem-ul-Ummat.

President Dr. Arif Alvi in his Iqbal day message said amid prevailing challenges, it was high time to revert to the message of Allama Muhammad Iqbal to find solution to the ills corroding the society and hindering the progress and prosperity.

“Faced with various challenges, let us revert to his message and pledge ourselves to make a deliberate effort by putting aside our differences, exhibiting unity and striving collectively for finding solutions to the ills that corrode our society and hinder our march towards progress and prosperity,” the president said in his message to the nation.

Prime Minister, Imran Khan in his Iqbal day message urged the countrymen to revert to the thought and philosophy of the Poet of the East Allama Iqbal to seek solution to the social, economic and political issues confronting the country and Muslim Ummah.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said Prime Minister Imran Khan has a firm resolve to transform Pakistan into a state as imagined by great poet and philosopher Allama Muhammad Iqbal.

Paying tributes to Allama Iqbal on his birth anniversary, the Special Assistant said Allama Iqbal’s thinking proved a bright hope for the Muslims of the subcontinent to get rid of oppression and imperialism, adding, his universal words and ideas were the beacon of light for our nation.

Social media, Twitter, Facebook and Whatsapp were the most prominent social sites where this great scholar remained center of discussion and eulogized for his two-nation-theory, especially in comparison of present hardships being faced by the Indian Muslims.

A large number of people on Saturday also visited Iqbal Manzil to pay homage to Allama Iqbal. They showed keen interest in his personal used things, rare books and pictures of him and his family members displayed there.