Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has said that Allama Iqbal has a special place in the hearts of people of Pakistan. He said that establishment of Pakistan as an independent, moderate, democratic, welfare Islamic state owes itself to Iqbal's ideals. Shahbaz Sharif said that Allama Iqbal is one who envisioned the idea of a separate homeland for the Muslims of the sub-continent.
He said that being a scholar par excellence imbued with penetrating insight and understanding of modern and ancient history, Iqbal had a keen eye on the rise and fall of civilisations.
His proposal of establishment of a separate homeland for Muslims to address vexed political question of the sub-continent demonstrated his political statesmanship. The subsequent events over the course of last many decades have proven veracity of his wisdom.
The Chief Minister said that Pakistan is passing through a critical phase of its history and facing the challenges of terrorism, extremism, sectarianism and other issues and in such a situation, the need for acting upon the philosophy of Iqbal is more than ever. He said that it is time to adopt a collective rather than individual approach in the larger interest of the country. He said that the message of Iqbal holds the key to progress and prosperity of the country.
In his message on the birth anniversary of Allama Muhammad Iqbal, Sharif said that Allama Dr Muhammad Iqbal was a legendary poet-philosopher, thinker and an eminent political leader of the 20th century. He said that a major chunk of Iqbal's poetry revolves around the youth whom he regards as architect of future and hope of humanity.
The Chief Minister said that Allama Iqbal wants youth to be trained on moral and spiritual lines enabling them to develop their capacity to discover new frontiers and conquer new worlds. He emphasises character building of the youth as a means to unlock their God-given potential. Iqbal uses various symbols in his poetry to inspire youth to carve out a niche for them and chart out a new path away from bandwagon approach. For youth, Iqbal is an intellectual mentor and a guide they can learn a lot from to restructure their lives along a lofty purpose.
Iqbal advocates the concept of balanced and harmonious society advancing the cause of collective welfare of humanity irrespective of any discrimination. He identifies dignity of man as the key pillar on which to erect the edifice of humankind. Shahbaz Sharif said that in his message to mark New Year, which was broadcast on All-India Radio on January 1, 1938, Allama Iqbal said: "Only one unity is dependable and that unity is the brotherhood of man, which is above race, nationality, colour or language.......So long as men do not demonstrate by their actions that they believe that the whole world is the family of God, so long as distinctions of race, colour and geographical nationalities are not wiped out completely, they will never be able to lead a happy and contended life and the beautiful ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity will never materialise." ThusIqbal's message has a universal appeal as well. Iqbal is an intellectual giant whose teachings and ideas can stand us in good stead today as we grapple with the challenges of terrorism, extremism and militancy. The Chief Minister said that the living nations acknowledge the services of their forefathers and express their gratitude to them by translating their thoughts into reality. This is where Allama Dr Muhammad Iqbal's message and philosophy is central to our efforts to build holistic narrative of inclusive, moderate, modern polity in line with the vision of its founding fathers.
On this Iqbal Day, let us vow to double our efforts to reconnect ourselves with the personality and work of Allama Iqbal and seek guidance from his teachings, for there can be no better way of paying tributes to icons than accomplishing what they stood and fought for.