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LAHORE, Dec 19 (APP): A prestigious conference titled “Rumi and Iqbal” was organised by the Iqbal Academy Pakistan in collaboration with Yunus Emre Institute Turkiye (Islamabad), Muslim Institute Islamabad and the University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Lahore, at the Chemical Hall of UET.
Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Prof Ahsan Iqbal was the chief guest, while Chairman Muslim Institute Islamabad Sahibzada Sultan Ahmed Ali presided over the conference. Vice Chancellor UET Prof Dr Shahid Munir, Director General Yunus Emre Institute Turkiye (Islamabad) Dr Khalil Tokar, Samiullah Malik (UK), Irene Meo Sogui (Turkiye), Usman Abdel Nasser (Egypt), Humayun Ahsan, Brig (R) Dr Waheed-uz-Zaman Tariq, Uzma Zareen Nazia, Dr Nadeem Ishaq Khan and Dr Hassan Raza Iqbal were among the distinguished participants.
Director Iqbal Academy Pakistan Dr Abdul Rauf Rafiqi, in his welcome address, highlighted the objectives of the conference and welcomed the participants.
Addressing the conference, Prof Ahsan Iqbal said the event was a serious intellectual effort to understand the mutual linkage between the thoughts of Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi and Allama Muhammad Iqbal and their relevance in the contemporary world. He said Pakistan could overcome its challenges by combining Rumi’s message of love with Iqbal’s philosophy of action. He added that there was a need to train not only Pakistan but the entire Muslim Ummah in the light of these teachings.
Dr Khalil Tokar briefed the participants on initiatives taken in Turkiye to promote the philosophy of Allama Iqbal.
Iqbal scholar Samiullah Malik said the teachings of Rumi and Iqbal were not merely a reflection of the past but provided direction for present anxieties and the future, guiding humanity towards love and selfhood.
In his address, Sahibzada Sultan Ahmed Ali highlighted the contemporary relevance of Rumi’s and Iqbal’s ideas, stating that Allama Iqbal regarded Maulana Rumi as his spiritual guide and completed his celestial journey in Javed Nama under Rumi’s guidance. He stressed the need to convey the message of these two great thinkers to the younger generation.
Dr Abdul Rauf Rafiqi later presented the recommendations of the conference and thanked the guests and participants, reaffirming that Iqbal Academy Pakistan was committed to promoting the thoughts of Allama Iqbal and Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi among youth.
At the conclusion of the conference, commemorative shields were presented to the distinguished guests.