ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan, in his message on Iqbal Day, said the renowned poet’s approach on matters such as sectarianism and ideological extremism serves as a guiding light for the nation, and that it is the need of the hour to understand not only his philosophy but also apply it to make Pakistan the state Iqbal envisioned.
Pakistan is observing Iqbal Day today (November 9) to commemorate the contribution of Allama Muhammad Iqbal for the Muslims of the subcontinent. Born on November 9th, 1877, Iqbal played a vital role in the Pakistan Movement by conceiving the idea of Pakistan and is, therefore, regarded as one of the founding fathers of the country.
Acknowledging Iqbal’s contributions, PM Imran said Pakistan can achieve a dignified place among the comity of nations by perceiving the concept of “Shaheen” and philosophy of “Khudi” enunciated in the works of the Poet of the East.
“Adopting Iqbal’s vision is the need of the hour to brighten the world through our deeds and introduce Pakistan as a developed and Islamic welfare state,” the premier said.
PM Imran said Iqbal guided Muslims of the Indian subcontinent at a time when they had lost their destination in the darkness of slavery. “Iqbal’s thoughts illuminated a candle of hope to identify the destination.”
Eulogising his brilliance, the prime minister said Iqbal always advised Muslims to remain united and be practical.
Need to understand Iqbal’s teachings ‘never as great as it is today’: President
President Dr Arif Alvi urged the need of understanding the message of Allama Iqbal and reverting to his teachings and philosophy to tackle the multifaceted challenges faced by the country.
“Today, the country is facing multifaceted challenges, while the spirit of Islam and its message is being distorted by religious extremists and zealots. The need to understand his message and reverting to his teachings and philosophy was never as great as it is today,” he said in his message on the occasion.
The president said that the commemoration of the birth anniversary of Allama Iqbal is indeed an occasion not only to recall the message that he propounded but also to ponder how far “we have been successful in following the path that was shown to us by the great philosopher and Poet of the East”.
He said that Allama Iqbal would always be remembered not only for envisioning a separate homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent but also for his remarkable contributions to understanding the true message of our religion.
“He awakened the Muslims from their deep slumber and rekindled the spirit among them to seek their true identity and to discover, cultivate and assert khudi for the individual as well as collective progress and prosperity,” he said.
“Let us, therefore, on his 141st birth anniversary, reiterate to continue making efforts for translating his vision into reality and strive harder for achieving ideals as envisioned by the great poet-philosopher.”
