PESHAWAR: Former deputy speaker of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Dr Ikramullah Shahid said on Sunday that poet Allama Iqbal regarded Afghanistan as the heart of Asia and clearly stated in his Persian poetry that disturbance in that country would keep Asia in perpetual turmoil.

Mr Shahid was speaking at a seminar held in connection with the Iqbal Day at the Research Library Peshawar (RLP) here.

Mr Shahid in his paper said that according to Iqbal peace in Afghanistan would lead to peace, safety and tranquility in the Asian continent. The former lawmaker predicted that the US and Nato would soon run away from Afghanistan, like Alexander the Great and Baber, the founder of Mughal Dynasty in India. ‘Iqbal had highlighted in his poetry the impact the stability in Afghan had over the whole region,” he commented.

RLP founder Fasihuddin stressed the need of discovering the impact of Iqbal’s thoughts on Afghan culture and society, and also of researching the deep impressions of Afghan thoughts on Iqbal’s vision and philosophy. He said that Iqbal was profoundly moved by the works, movement and messages of great Afghan and Pashtun generals, leaders and scholars like Mehmood Ghaznavi, Hakeem Sanai, Sher Shah Suri, Ahmad Shah Abdali, Khushal Khan Khattak and Syed Jamaluddin Afghani.

Jan Mohammad, former Intelligence Bureau director and an expert on Fata and Afghan affairs, said that Afghans were the toughest and committed people on earth who never bowed down to foreign oppression. He said Afghanistan would come out of its present crises soon to retain its title of ‘graveyard of empires’.

Another speaker said that, ‘We have to understand Iqbal’s vision and message in the context of his thought-evolution from nationalism to internationalism’. “We have to change ourselves in the light of modern realities and have to re-think our role in the international community,” he added

A question and answer session was also organised for researchers, students and fans of Allama Iqbal.

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2014