Daily Times

LAHORE: Citizens observed Iqbal Day on the 140th birthday of the Poet of the East on Thursday, as a number of ceremonies were arranged to pay tribute to the national poet.

Seminars and conferences were arranged by educational institutions, literary organisations and government departments/organisations focusing on the great services of Dr Allama Muhammad Iqbal that led to the creation of Pakistan. Besides, a large number of political figures and people from all walks of life also visited Iqbal’s mausoleum.

The major ceremony on the occasion was the change of guard ceremony where a contingent of the Pakistan Navy took guard duties from the Punjab Rangers. Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Corps Commander Lt Gen Aamir Riaz also visited the mausoleum. Delegations of the Punjab University, Government College University (GCU) and many other educational institutions also paid a visit to the mausoleum.

Meanwhile, a seminar was held at the GCU’s Urdu Department. Tehran University Urdu Department Chairperson Dr Muhammad Quemercy, GCU Dean Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences Prof Dr Tahir Kamran, Dean Faculty of Languages, Islamic & Oriental Learning Prof Dr Muhammad Iqbal Shahid and Urdu Department Chairperson Dr Khalid Mehmood Sanjrani addressed the seminar.

University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Lahore also organised a programme to pay homage to services of Allama Muhammad Iqbal. The event was presided by Prof Dr Asif Ali Qaiser, the director of student affair. Students presented skits, poems and documentaries related to Iqbal Day.

Published in Daily Times, November 10^th 2017.