The Pakistan Embassy in the United States held an event to commemorate Iqbal Day to pay tributes to the country’s greatest philosopher who reshaped the destiny of the Muslims of the sub-continent and the people by sheer force of his writing and poetry.
A large number of Pakistani American community of the Washington and neighboring states of Virginia and Maryland attended the functions to pay their homage to Allama Iqbal who was recognized as a great thinker by the West.
“The message of Allama Muhammad Iqbal continues to inspire the entire Pakistani nation,” Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry said and added Pakistan’s greatest philosopher, thinker and poet inspired the whole world by his iconic writings in Urdu and Persian and attained global acclaim.
Iqbal’s poetry, philosophy and thoughts galvanized the Muslims of the Indian sub-continent to demand a separate homeland that ultimately led to the creation of Pakistan, within a decade of Iqbal’s death in 1938.
On this occasion, ambassador Chaudhry announced that the embassy was launching a programme on its new website in its efforts to reach out even larger number of Pakistani American community.
He said the embassy was trying to extend all possible help and assistance to our community and striving to get the best possible cooperation and input from Pakistani American community.
Dr. Moazzam Siddiqi, a learned scholar on Iqbal, narrated the various phases and events of Iqbal’s life.
He said Iqbal’s greatness could be judged by the fact that he changed the destiny of his people through his writing and poetry.
Dr Iqbal inspired an awakening or renaissance among the Muslims of South Asia, who had been suffering at the hands of the British rulers and Hindu majority population of pre-partition India. “Without Iqbal, the dream of Pakistan could never have been realized,” he added.
Renditions of Kalam-e-Iqbal, his literary works, were read out by noted broadcaster and presenter Khalid Hameed.
A young Pakistani American, Ayesha Ali read out an essay recalling Iqbal’s message to the youth of his generation.
This timeless message, she argued, was just as relevant for the youngsters of today as it was so many years ago.
DCM Rizwan Sheikh who was the moderator of the event announced that the embassy had planned to hold an event about another great poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz early next year.

Source: APP