LAHORE – Speakers at an Iqbal Day function organised at Aiwan-e-Karkunan Tehrik-e-Pakistan on Wednesday to mark the 72nd death anniversary of the Philosopher-Poet of the East Dr Allama Muhammad Iqbal underscored the need for grooming and bringing to the fore a leadership having the vision of Allama Iqbal and the Quaid-i-Azam in a bid to transform Pakistan into a strong Islamic, welfare and democratic state capable of steering ahead the Ummah. The speakers wished unification of Muslim League, the party which created Pakistan.
Former defence minister and Sindh chief minister Syed Ghous Ali Shah and former NWFP chief minister Syed Sabir Shah were guests of honour while Chairman NPT Majid Nizami presided over the meeting. A cross-section of personalities from political, literary and social circles addressed the meeting. The hall was packed to capacity with motivated audience including women who also occupied seats in the corridors of the Aiwan. The hall burst into excitement, raising spirited slogans in favour of Iran and President Ahmadinejad when the Iranian Ambassador came to the dais. He delivered the message of Iranian President Ahmadinejad to the audience. The Iranian Ambassador Mashallah Shakiri narrated a lengthy discourse from the IqbalÂ’s poetry during which he was visibly moved. He made a confession that Iranian Islamic revolution greatly owed to the poetry of Allama Iqbal, which inspired his Iranian readers.
Legendary kalam-e-Iqbal reciters Bashir Hussain Nazim, Hafiz Marghoob Hamdani and Jamshed Azam Chishti enthralled the audience with recitation from IqbalÂ’s poetry. Syed Sabir Shah had to face tough criticism for PML to accept Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as the new name of NWFP.
Speaking on the occasion, Majid Nizami said that there would have been no Pakistan, had there been no Allama Iqbal. The Quaid came back to Pakistan on the advice of Allama Iqbal, led the Muslim League and adopted Pakistan Resolution in 1940. Pakistan came into being seven years after the adoption of the Resolution and we are now a free nation. He, however, lamented over the fact that the creator party was divided into factions and those who did not know who the Quaid was and what his ideology was, were ruling the country. There should have been a vision of Iqbal and the Quaid to make Pakistan an Islamic, democratic and welfare state.
Pir Sabir Shah said promotion of Pakistan ideology was not the duty of Majid Nizami only, rather every citizen should become Majid Nizami. He said, “We are following aliens’ theories instead of our own. Pakistan has a strategic importance.”
He said the enemy had hurled allegations against the Quaid but even the worst enemy could not point a finger on the QuaidÂ’s character and his devotion to Islam. According to Sirojini Naedo, if Patel, Ghandhi, Nehru, Bacha Khan and others had been in Muslim League and alone Quaid in Congress, India would never have been divided. He said Haji Adeel of ANP who had hurled remarks on Quaid was another Salman Rushdie, as, he abused the Quaid while living in QuaidÂ’s Pakistan. AdeelÂ’s party and leaders never accepted Pakistan and their agenda was to break Pakistan. Ghaffar Khan even did not like his burial in Pakistan.
Sabir Shah faced tough questions on the issue of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from the audience. He said two assemblies had passed the resolution. The MQM, Fazal-ur-Rehman, PPP and UNO also pleaded for Pakhtunkhwa.
Nawaz Sharif, however, resisted and finally the word Khyber was given lead over Pakhtunkhwa. Khyber reminds us of Hazrat AliÂ’s conquest of Khyber while Khyber Pass was the gateway for Islamic forces in the sub-continent. The ANP has numerical strength in the Assembly which he said was the ugly side of the democracy in which heads are counted and not evaluated. As far as HazaraÂ’s demand for a separate province is concerned, it will also be resolved amicably. He said the ANP had also emphasised that if names of Major Abbot, Hari Singh Nalwa and Mansingh are accepted for Abbotabad, Haripur and Mansehra respectively why Pakhtunkhwa should not be accepted. The PML changed the name with Khyber as Pakhtunkhwa was a conspiracy to lay foundation for the break-up of Pakistan which the PML defeated.
Syed Ghous Ali Shah said, “We needed a leadership which could act according to Iqbal and the Quaid’s vision.” He said Nawaz Sharif was trying to come true to our expectations and he was treading the path of the Quaid.
Nawaz Sharif revived the judiciary with a long march, did nuclear detonation despite ClintonÂ’s telephone not to do so.. He said the Kalabagh Dam should be built with consensus. He, however, said if coal can provide energy for 80,000 years why to unearth controversial issues. He called for giving support to Nawaz Sharif.
PML-N Central Leader Makhdoom Javed Hashmi said Dr Allama Iqbal had foreseen the current mega changes in the world and particularly, he had predicted that China, Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Iran and Afghanistan would be the focal territories for long-term peace in the world. Allama Iqbal wished Iran to be the Geneva of Islamic world, he said. He also predicted that the western civilization would ultimately prove to be the death warrant for its own people in near future. “This came true when in world War II, Christians world killed each other,” he said.
Makhdoom said World War-1 was a crusade, launched against Islam, which finally sliced Ottoman Caliphate into many small countries, but during the World War-II, as Iqbal had anticipated, the western countries fought against their own civilization and inhabitants for their vested interests, causing millions of causalities in a single jerk. He said it was unprecedented in the history of the world that four new countries had been created for a king and his three sons, by disintegrating the great Ottoman Caliphate.
PML-N leader further said Pakistan was fighting the war against terrorism for the US, India and Israel. “This was the bitter result of American influence. Consequently our rulers are now scared of purchasing oil from our brother state Iran,” he added. Makhdoom Javed Hashmi said Iqbal was a multilingual poet of hope who desired a new separate Islamic State for the Muslims, which should lead the world. “Now we as a nation and according to the philosophy of the great poet are fully capable of leading the Islamic world,” he added.
PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafiq while addressing the meeting, said the followers of Iqbal’s philosophy of ‘Khudi’ was not to bow down before America. He said that today’s Pakistan also is not representing the thoughts of Iqbal because the rulers of the country did not try to make the country according to the vision of Iqbal and the Quaid and instead they ignored their teachings. Even politicians, establishment and the judiciary of the country seemed wandering far away from their thoughts.
He said those parliamentarians, supporting the 18th Amendment were just human beings and not angels, so they could also make mistakes, and there are flaws in the 18th Amendment. He said some persons wanted to create differences between the judiciary and the parliament, and in fact, they were not friends of the country. Commenting on NWFP, he described it a crucial issue, which must be resolved with national consensus but later, all the political parties of the country backed out of their commitment in this regard and held PML-N alone responsible for the change of its name. “Although, PML-N leadership did not consult us in this regard”, he added.
He stressed upon all the political parties of the country and the provinces to build consensus on construction of Kalabagh Dam as it was being built on the issue of change of name of NWFP by forgetting all the differences. He also appealed to the leadership of Pakistan Muslim League PML-N to plead the case of Kalabagh Dam as well. He condemned the inherited politics and stressed the need for holding elections in all political parties of the country saying that first of all political parties must be reformed for the sake of reforming country. He said Political Parties Act must be strengthened for the sake of strong democratic system.
Allama Iqbal’s grandson Waleed Iqbal, an advocate, said Iqbal was the poet of Islamic renaissance who showed Muslims the path of collective ego. Waleed also stressed that, “Allama Iqbal had realized the need for framing a separate state for the Muslims of the Sub-Continent during his early days when he had returned after completing his higher education from Europe”. He also thanked Islamic Democratic Republic of Iran for promoting Iqbal in such an impressive manner across the world. Waleed recited numerous Persian and Urdu verses besides interpreting them in a versatile manner delivering message for the rulers.
Islamic Democratic Republic of Iran ambassador Masha Allah Shakari said on the occasion that the Islamic Revolution of Iran was the genuine outcome of IqbalÂ’s philosophy and the current shape of Islamic Republic of Iran was the true interpretation of the message of the legendary poet. The honorable guest also recited Persian poetry of Allama Iqbal, saying that the great poet had huge reverence for Iran and wished the state to be the concrete citadel for the unification of the Muslim World.
In his address, Nazria Pakistan vice chairman, Dr Rafiq Ahmed said that creation of Pakistan was due to the benevolence of Iqbal so we pay tribute to him by celebrating Iqbal Day every year. He said the poetry of Iqbal in fact was the name of revolutionary thoughts and IranÂ’s Revolution also got inspiration from his poetry and it changed the thoughts of people of Iran. He said Nazria Pakistan Trust was also playing its due role for creating awareness about the Pakistan Movement and thoughts of Iqbal among the youngsters. He said Iqbal was the person who had convinced the Qauid with respect to leading the nation.
Hafiz Muhammad Idrees of Jamaat-e-Islami, who represented Qazi Hussain Ahmed, paid tributes to poetry of Iqbal and his services for Islam. He said his poetry in fact reflected love for the holy Prophet and Allah. He said he was ‘Poet of jihad’ and through his poetry we could tell the world that jihad did not mean terrorism but meant a struggle to fight for the right cause.
Prof. Dr. Akram Ikram Shah said the humanity was the focal point of IqbalÂ’s poetry and he told the world through his poetry that Islam was the only religion of the world, which taught showing affection to the humanity.
Khushnood Ali Khan, President CPNE, criticized the rulers and said that they were negating the Iqbal’s theory of Pakistan by torturing the innocent people of the country and humiliating them when they go to streets in support of their rights. “This is not the country, which was dreamt by Iqbal”, he added. He said the rulers even did not take action against senator Haji Adeel who in his statement had said that Islam is an additional word in Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Criticising the role of opposition, he said nobody had raised voice against price hike in the country and even condemned the raise in electricity and gas tariffs by PEPCO and OGRA.
Talking on the occasion, Sayed Faseeh Iqbal of Balochistan said the presence of such a large number of people on this auspicious day symbolises a living Pakistan and such ceremonies should also be held in the other provinces.
He suggested that all Pakistanis should also study IqbalÂ’s Persian poetry because the Persian poetry of Iqbal was basis of Islamic revolution in Islamic Democratic Republic of Iran. He added that Persian had played its pivotal role in enlightening the hearts of the Muslims and it was IqbalÂ’s benevolence that he raised the slogan of the Muslims while presently we are hearing anti-Pakistan slogans and in this regard it is need of the hour to be united to avoid any destruction or loss to the country.
He added that construction of Kala Bagh Dam was also the need of the hour and it should be constructed forthwith to overcome the energy crisis, adding that Majid Nizami was reminding us the forgotten lessons, which were needed to make Pakistan a prosperous country.
He further said we merely claimed that Iqbal was our national hero while Iranians followed his teachings and learnt a lot from his Persian poetry, saying Iqbalyat should have been introduced and taught in the seminaries in order to overcome the problems. He said Pakistan possessed huge stocks of coal, which was sufficient to meet the needs of prevailing energy crises. Faseeh said Pakistanis had been surrounded by innumerable conspiracies, which could only be tackled by following the thoughts of Iqbal.