Bureau Report
Lahore : Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif paid tribute to Allama Muhammad Iqbal, the Poet of the East and visionary of Pakistan, in a special message on his birth anniversary. She said his intellectual contributions to the creation of Pakistan could never be forgotten, adding, “My mission is to stand up for the rights of the poor.”
She said Iqbal awakened the Muslims of the subcontinent to the consciousness of freedom through his poetry, and that his message of selfhood and awakening remains a guiding force for the younger generation. She stressed the need to familiarise young people with his philosophy and make his poetry an integral part of the educational curriculum.
The chief minister said Iqbal gave the nation its direction, while Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah led the dispirited caravan to its destination. She called the lesson of self-respect one of Iqbal’s greatest contributions, and said his poetry instilled an understanding of the Two-Nation Theory and turned Muslims into an awakened, dynamic nation.
Maryam Nawaz said Pakistan could become a moderate and welfare state only by following Iqbal’s teachings. She described him as a torchbearer of Islam’s universal message, which remains relevant in every era, and said an independent, fair and just economic and social system in line with his thought was the need of the hour.
She said that through true realisation of Iqbal’s philosophy, Pakistan could attain a distinguished position in the world politically, economically, religiously and socially, and urged the nation to renew its resolve to make his teachings its guiding light.
