On Sunday, the nation commemorated the 148th birth anniversary of Allama Muhammad Iqbal, the Poet of the East, reaffirming the pledge to revive his message to tackle contemporary challenges. A change of guard ceremony was held at Iqbal’s mausoleum in Lahore, where Rear Admiral Sohail Ahmad Azami served as the chief guest and later inspected contingents from the Pakistan Rangers and the Pakistan Navy. A well-disciplined contingent of the Pakistan Navy assumed charge of the guards during the ceremony. Rear Admiral Azami also laid a floral wreath, offered Fateha, and recorded his remarks in the visitors’ book. Allama Iqbal envisioned a generation of youth capable of writing their own destiny and shaping a new world with imagination and creativity. He was a profound Islamic thinker, advocating for the unity of the Muslim world and the establishment of global peace. Iqbal regarded the Muslim Ummah as one body, emphasizing that today, his message is crucial to promote brotherhood over sectarianism, love over hatred, and justice over force. His vision inspired the spirit of independence and self-determination among Muslims of the subcontinent. At the All-India Muslim League session in 1930, he stressed the importance of safeguarding the rights of Muslims, laying the foundation for the creation of a sovereign nation. Iqbal’s legacy goes well beyond his literary works such as Asrar-e-Khudi, Rumuz-e-Bekhudi, and Bang-e-Dara, which explore matters of identity, spirituality and freedom. His insistence on political representation for Muslims and on values rooted in Islam has left a lasting imprint on Pakistan’s national identity.
Pakistan Marks 148th Birth Anniversary of Allama Iqbal
