LAHORE, Dec 18: Punjab University former vice-chancellor Dr Muniruddin Chughtai has said that the Quaid-i-Azam was the greatest statesman of the 20th century for achieving his goal of an independent separate homeland for the majority of the Muslims of the subcontinent.

He was speaking to a group of students of local schools and colleges who were shown documentary films about the Pakistan Movement on the fifth day of the Quaid-i-Azam week. The exhibition was arranged by the Nazaria-i-Pakistan Foundation and the Pakistan Movement Workers Trust at their auditorium here on Wednesday.

He said that there was no example in the history where any statesman or political leader had succeeded in carving out a new country on the world map.

He said that both Allama Iqbal and the Quaid wanted to liberate the Muslims of the subcontinent by setting their independent country.

While Iqbal gave the concept of Pakistan, the Quaid translated the concept into a reality by launching the Pakistan Movement and within seven years he got Pakistan during his life time.

He said that younger generation of Pakistan should emulate the example of the Quaid for making all out efforts to preserve the Quaid’s legacy, Pakistan, and make it a country as he had visualized, a land where the Muslims could lead their life in accordance with the Islamic principles and the teachings of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him).

He said: “you are fortunate for having born in an independent country whereas hundreds of millions of Muslims of the pre-partition days born and lived as slaves of the British and maltreated by the Hindus.”

He said that the films about the Pakistan Movement would be shown regularly at the Aiwan-i-Karkunan-i-Tehrik-i-Pakistan for the education of the younger generations about the independence struggle of the Muslims of the subcontinent.