May 1, 2006	Monday	Rabi-us-Sani 2, 1427

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LAHORE, April 30: The federal government has finally withdrawn its decision to transfer relics belonging to Allama Iqbal and the Quaid-i-Azam from the museums in Lahore and Karachi, respectively, to the National Memorial Museum in Islamabad.

Official sources told Dawn on Sunday that the federal ministry of culture and sports was now planning to display the replicas of the proposed items at NMM and had intimated the museums’ authorities in this respect.

A source privy to the development is of the view that there are chances that the items selected by the culture ministry may be transferred to Islamabad at some later stage. He says the government has reverted the decision ‘temporarily’ on the pressure of some circles.

It is pertinent to mention that the culture ministry had earlier issued the orders on the request of the executive director of Lok Virsa, Islamabad.

All the furniture and relics of Quaid’s study and political drawing rooms and those given to the Mohatta Palace from his birthplace were proposed to be shifted to the NMM — a place which is likely to be established in August. Besides, items for restoration located at the Quaid-i-Azam House Museum in Karachi were included in the list.

Sixty-two relics belonging to the poet-philosopher, which are displayed at the Allama Iqbal Museum (Javaid Manzil), are also proposed to be shifted to the NMM.

The selected items were (rare) manuscripts like Bal-i-Jibreel, Asrar-i-Khudi, an article, a notebook, four letters, documents; floating account pass book; a roznamcha; a typed memorandum; library books; nine photographs; three welcome addresses.

Among his educational credentials were a PhD degree (1907), certificate of research (1907), D.Litt (honorary degree), and his garments included a velvet black cap, pashmina shervani, a boski shirt, a lawyers’ gown, a kullah, a lungi woollen tail coat, a woollen waist coat. A pair of shoes (brown).

His furniture and carpets — three easy chairs, Victorian sofa, wooden desk, hat-stand, wooden bed, hand-knitted woollen carpet (blue and maroon) — crockery like metal and wooden trays, ink-pot stand (wooden), spectacles, wrist watch, ashtray, wall clock, leather wallet and gold ring are the other assets.