ISLAMABAD, Nov 9: Culture Minister Col (Rtd) S. K. Tressler formally kicked off the celebrations of the “Year of Iqbal” on Friday, that would form a prelude to the 125th birth anniversary of Dr Allama Mohammad Iqbal to be observed in 2002.

He was speaking at a seminar on the occasion of the 124th birth anniversary of the Poet of the East on Friday, which was arranged by the Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) in collaboration with the Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU).

The minister said the seminar was the first link in a series of events that would continue till next November and include seminars in the four provincial capitals as well as an international conference that will be attended by scholars and intellectuals from many parts of the world.

The Pakistan Television and Radio Pakistan will telecast programmes on Dr Iqbal’s life and works.

Other events include exhibition of photographs to depict the various aspects of the Allama’s life, Mushairas and musical concerts based on his poetry.

Education minister Zubaida Jalal — the chairperson of the event — as well as scholars representing all provinces spoke on the occasion. They were National Languages Authority chairman Prof Fateh Mohammad Malick (federal area), Allama Iqbal’s biographer in Baluchi Ghaus Bukhsh Sabur (Balochistan), Salma Shaheen (NWFP), Tehsin Firaqi (Punjab), noted academicians Dr Manzur Ahmad and former PAL chairman Dr Ghulam Rabbani (Sindh), AIOU vice-chancellor Dr Syed Altaf Husain and PAL chairman Syed Iftikhar Arif.

Agha Nasir recited selections from Iqbal’s poetry on the while Manzurul Kaunain sang Iqbal’s poems in his pleasant sonorous voice.

Speaking on the occasion, Education minister Zubaida Jalal announced national and provincial awards in various fields, that would carry financial rewards as well. She added that the proceedings of the day’s seminar would be published and released to the public by the PAL.

Ms Jalal said Allama Iqbal was a visionary who had looked ahead to the creation of Pakistan in his 1930 Allahabad Address.

She quoted the Father of the Nation as having described Iqbal as a man of international stature who had been to him a friend, leader and a philosopher.

She said, by his powerful concept of Khudi, the national poet had provided inspiration to the Muslim India to shake off the bonds of slavery.

Baloch scholar Ghaus Bukhsh Sabur in his speech lamented that not much work had been done in Iqbaliat in the Baluchi language.

This view was echoed in the remark of Dr Ghulam Rabbani Agro that Dr Iqbal’s works should be translated profusely in the regional languages to make them more accessible to the common man.

He said the Allama was the national poet of Pakistan, yet there was no definitive biography of his available in the country. He said he had been informed by Mr Arif that India had come up with a good biography of Allama Iqbal. He requested that attention should be paid to publishing a comprehensive biography of the national poet.

Prof Fateh Muhammad Malick said that in his poem Nida- i-Ghaib, Dr Iqbal had expressed dissatisfaction with the ritualistic mode of prayers and lamented that Islam had lost its vigour at the hands of kings, fake Pirs and Mullahs.

Dr Manzur Ahmad said Iqbal had asked the people to be unhindered by tradition in the making of decisions. He said Iqbal’s contribution lay in asking the people to strive for freedom.

Prof Tehsin Firaqi said the greatest contribution of Iqbal was to invite people to strive for self-realisation. He quoted at length from Allama Iqbal’s Israr-i-Khudi on the subject.

Peshawar University academician Salma Shahin said the love for humanity had been the basis of Iqbal’s poetry.

PAL chairman Iftikhar Arif remarked that one had to take into account all facets of Iqbal’s works to be able to fathom Iqbal’s contribution to literature, philosophy and international politics. —Jonaid Iqbal