LAHORE: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Saturday said that the Pakistani nation, even today, sought guidance from the ideas and vision of Dr Allama Mohammad Iqbal for its survival, advancement and improvement.

He was addressing a Presidential Iqbal Awards (national and international) distribution ceremony at Aiwan-i-Iqbal here.

Punjab Governor Sardar Latif Khan Khosa, Justice Javed Iqbal and Iqbal Academy Pakistan (IAP) Vice President Dr Shahzad Qaisar were also present.

Prime Minister Gilani said real and deep affiliation with Allama Iqbal had the strength to steer the nation out of all crises as Iqbal’s ideology encompassed all aspects of our thinking about the past and the future.

“We, being a nation, are very lucky as we have a great leader and philosopher in Dr Allama Mohammad Iqbal, who is an institution…his writings and poetry acquaint us with the essence of life,” he added.

Prime Minister Gilani said that today Pakistan was faced with numerous challenges at the national and international levels, and added “we direly need to enlighten ourselves with Iqbal’s philosophy, which can maintain us as an energetic and dynamic state”.

He said “the Pakistani nation is mature, sensitive and brave and it has always played its role in any difficulty,” and added that the nation was not facing any ‘real crisis’ that was the repercussion of bad intention and mismanagement of some individuals or groups in the past.