KARACHI, Nov 10: Foreign and Pakistani scholars paid tribute to Allama Muhammad Iqbal in a symposium held at Ghalib Library on the birth anniversary of the poet.

The audience was pleasantly surprised to hear two foreigners speak perfect Urdu. The event was organised by Idara-i-Yadgar-i-Ghalib (IYG) on Friday evening.

Presenting a research paper on ‘Iqbal, Turks and Turkey’, Prof Dr Halil Toker, the chief guest and chairman of the Urdu department, Istanbul University, deliberated how Iqbal viewed Turks and Turkey and analysed what research and critical works on Iqbal and his poetry had been carried out in the Turkish language. He was of the opinion that Turks had a great love and appreciation for Iqbal’s poetry and referred to a large number of such works.

Prof Dr Heinz Werner Wessler of Sweden’s Uppsala University discussed Iqbal’s stay in Germany and how Iqbal viewed Germans and Germany. He especially referred to Iqbal’s poem ‘Aik Sham Darya-i-Neckar Heidelberg ke kinare par’ which beautifully captures the serene surroundings.

While appreciating Iqbal’s thought and art, Prof Dr Zafar Iqbal, dean of the faculty of arts, Karachi University, called for a critical, unbiased and objective re-evaluation of Iqbal’s works.

In 1932, he said, a detailed sketch of the Iqbal academy was presented but the existing Iqbal Academy, Lahore, had deviated from that plan and it should review its preferences and strategy. He said: “We should be able to see Iqbal beyond his glorified status as a national poet.”

IYG President Fatima Surayya Bajia, Secretary General Dr Rauf Parekh and Secretary Prof Dr Tanzeem-ul-Firdous also spoke.