Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif on Monday said that Allama Muhammad Iqbal was a great philosopher and poet whose poetry rekindled hope and awakening among the Muslims of the sub-continent. In a message on 133rd birth anniversary of Allama Muhammad Iqbal, he said the best way to pay tribute to the Poet of the East is to follow his ideals and teachings and work hard with commitment and passion to make Pakistan a strong and prosperous country.
"Allama Iqbal promoted the spirit of self-respect and national pride among the Muslims of the Subcontinent and it was because of his teachings that Muslims waged a united struggle for a separate homeland under the dynamic leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and materialised his dream on August 14, 1947," he added.
According to him, today there is a need to put into practice Allama Iqbal's philosophy and his thoughts to overcome the crises being faced by the country. We have to shun all ethnic, linguistic and sectarian differences to make Pakistan an Islamic welfare state and a modern democracy in accordance with the vision of Allama Muhammad Iqbal.