Daily Times

LAHORE: Citizens celebrated the 139th birth anniversary of Allama Muhammad Iqbal with national fervour and zeal on Wednesday. Politicians, government servants, army officials and students paid rich tribute to Allama Iqbal’s services for Pakistan and Muslims. Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif, Governor Malik Muhammad Rafique Rajwana, Jamat-e-Islami Ameer Sirajul Haq separately visited the tomb of Iqbal to pay homage to the Poet of the East.

Several seminars, quiz competitions and cake-cutting ceremonies were organised by educational institutions, elected union council chairmen, political parties and people from different walks of life to highlight and remember the message of Iqbal.

The centre of all ceremonies remained the mausoleum of Allama Iqbal located in front of the Badshahi Mosque. Visitors on Wednesday thronged to the mausoleum and paid tributes to Allama Iqbal’s visionary thoughts for Muslims of sub-continent that led to Pakistan movement and creation of an independent homeland. Iqbal gave the concept of separate homeland for Muslims during his speech at Allahabad in 1930, which culminated into the historical March 23, 1940 resolution.

Lahore Corps Lieutenant General Sadiq Ali, Garrison Commander Lahore Major General Tariq Aman and Navy Commodore Station Commander Sajid Mehmood Shahzad laid floral wreaths and offered Fateha at the tomb of Iqbal. They also registered their message on visitor’s book.

Punjab Rangers also celebrated Youm-e-Iqbal with full zeal. The Punjab Rangers director general laid floral wreath on the grave of Iqbal and said that the great scholar awakened the Muslims from slumber through his poetry. “Iqbal demanded a separate Islamic state in his Allahabad speech. It was he who persuaded the Quaid-e-Azam to return to India in order to lead the Muslims to their goal,” the DG added.

A delegation of Punjab University, under the leadership of Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran, visited the mausoleum of Allama Iqbal and laid floral wreath and offered Fateha for the departed soul. In his message, Dr Mujahid Kamran said that Iqbal’s poetry had deeply influenced the Islamic world and the nation is proud of it. He said that an atomic power of the Muslims had emerged because of Allama Iqbal.

In connection with the celebrations of Iqbal Day, various departments/institutes of PU organised seminars, speech and painting competitions to pay tribute to the departed soul. In this regard, various events were held at PU’s Centre for Clinical Psychology, Department of Physics, Institute of Chemistry, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Pakistan Study Centre, Hailey College of Commerce, and Institute of Education and Research’s Department of Elementary Education and Department of History. All faculty members, staff and students participated enthusiastically in the events and paid glorifying tribute to the Poet of the East.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Lahore chapter organised a cake-cutting ceremony at Model Town in connection with Iqbal Day. Separately, Pakistan Award Academy also held a cake-cutting ceremony at Muslim League House.

A seminar, held at Aiwan-e-Iqbal, also shed light on Iqbal’s thinking and philosophy. Justice (r) Nasira Javed Iqbal, Munib Iqbal, Mujeebur Rehman Shami were among the main speakers of the seminar.

“Allama Iqbal gave us a lesson of consistent struggle in the face of challenges of life. Iqbal’s message was meant for the Muslims of the entire world. To comprehend his message is the need of the hour,” said Nazaria-e-Pakistan Trust Chairman Muhammad Rafique Tarar in his presidential address at a special ceremony organised to highlight Iqbal’s services for Muslims. The ceremony was jointly organised by Nazaria-e-Pakistan Trust and Pakistan Movement Workers Trust at the Aiwan-e-Karkunan-e-Tehreek-e-Pakistan.

On the occasion, Rana Mashood Ahmad observed, “Pakistan came into being on the basis of an ideology. The Nazaria-e-Pakistan Trust (NPT) is rendering a valuable service by imparting ideological education and training to the new generation. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif hold great value for NPT and wants to advance its activities.”