ISLAMABAD: Former president Asif Ali Zardari has called for restoring the peaceful, progressive and egalitarian image of Islam. In his message of the birth anniversary of Allama Iqbal being celebrated today (November 9), he said, “The best way to pay homage to Iqbal was to reiterate our resolve not to allow anyone to exploit religion for foisting a specific political agenda or perpetrating violence.” He continued, “In memory of Iqbal, let us dedicate ourselves to free inquiry, discussion and debate, as preached by him and also refuse to blindly follow the dogmatic interpretations of religion,” the former president said. He said the message of Islam had been systematically distorted over the decades. “We need to seek inspiration from Iqbal to correct the distortions and restore true image of Islam. Let us not fear in reinterpreting religious thought in the light of his teachings,” the former President said. He said Iqbal had rejected the idea of giving legislative powers to a handful of un-elected clerics and stressed that such powers must be exercised by the elected representatives of the people.