WASHINGTON, Nov 09 (APP): Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Masood Khan, led tributes to Allama Iqbal at a special meeting marking his birth anniversary, saying the national poet-philosopher was ‘our ideological compass and lode star’.
“Iqbal dreamed of Pakistan, and we are a manifestation of his dream,” the envoy told the meeting held at the Pakistan embassy here.
In addition, a photo exhibition was also arranged by the embassy in collaboration with the International Academy of Letters, USA, the Sadequain Foundation, USA, and the Sadequain Gallery of Chicago to pay tribute to the iconic calligrapher, painter, and poet, Syed Sadequain Ahmed Naqvi, known as Sadequain Naqqash.
Highlighting Iqbal’s life and mission, Ambassador Masood Khan said, “He is our ideological compass and our lodestar. When we are looking for direction, we refer to Iqbal because he gave us the ideological basis for the state of Pakistan.”
A poet par excellence, the ambassador said, “His thought has influenced the whole of South Asia, Afghanistan, and Iran.”
His philosophy was not confined to the subcontinent; he looked at the universe and how it was evolving in its spiritual and physical dimensions, Masood Khan said.
“Iqbal talked about alliances of civilizations before this thought was developed in the late 20th century or early 21st century.”
Masood Khan said that Allama Iqbal was one of the most authentic interpreters of the Quran and Islam. “If we want to understand the Quran in the contemporary context, we will have to study Iqbal.”
He said that many clerics and religious scholars cited Iqbal when they wanted to elaborate on some complex thoughts in Islam.
“Iqbal was a universalist. He was not a parochial poet. His poetry is a universal heritage,” he said.
Talking about Sadequain, the Ambassador recalled his visit to the Sadequain Exhibition held at Urdu Ghar in Chicago. The Ambassador praised the Sadequain Foundation for its service to the legendary artist.
Other speakers-Ghazanfar Hashmi, Anwar Iqbal, Dr Aseef Qadeer, Ex-Senator Akber Khawaja, Faiz Rehman, and Riaz Niazi-dilated upon various dimensions and perspectives of Iqbal’s thought, drawing its relevance to the contemporary world.