JEDDAH, 28 April 2004 — Pakistan Repatriation Council marked the 66th death anniversary of philosopher-poet Dr. Allama Iqbal with a call to President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali to reactivate the Rabita Trust that was frozen in 2001. “The Pakistan government should organize the repatriation and rehabilitation of its countrymen stranded in Bangladesh on the basis of PRC’s proposal of self-finance scheme,” the meeting held here on Saturday said in a resolution.
The meeting expressed its appreciation of the efforts and high-level negotiations between India and Pakistan and called for resolving the Kashmir dispute, “as a plebiscite alone could solve the problem rather than the election that is being currently held.”
The meeting also proposed to the Pakistan government to establish an Iqbal research academy that can help transfer the message of Iqbal to the countrymen.
The meeting was presided over by Abdul Aziz Uqaili, consul welfare at the Pakistani Consulate General. Poet and writer Dr. Monawar Hashmi was the chief guest. Other guests and speakers were Shahid Nayeem, president, Pakistan Journalists’ Forum, Nadeemul Hassan and Zamir Manzoor of Pakistan Engineers’ Society, community leaders Maqboolur Rahman Abbasi, Hamid Islam Khan, Mohammad Jameel Rathore, Ghulam Nabi Butt. Poets Naseem Sehar, Habib Siddiqui, Abdul Qayyum Wasiq, Mohsin Alavi and Zamurrad Saifi presented their poems eulogizing Iqbal. Shaheen Ansari recited verses from the Qur’an and Mohsin Alavi conducted the proceedings.
Uqaili said Allama Iqbal was not only a poet and thinker but also a political philosopher who did not agree with the orthodox theory but generated new political philosophy that took politics as part of religion. “With this idea, he pleaded for the two-nation theory which ultimately resulted in the creation of Pakistan under the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam,” he said. The only way to succeed is to adhere to the teachings of the Quaid and Iqbal, he said.
Dr. Monawar Hashmi said Allama Iqbal’s poetry truly represented the Qur’anic concept since he had studied Allah’s message very deeply.
Hamid Islam Khan said Pakistanis stranded in Bangladesh had sacrificed everything for Pakistan’s ideology and integrity and “it’s our duty to bring them to the country and settle them without any further delay.”
Ehsanul Haque said it was Iqbal who drew the road map on which Jinnah created Pakistan. “It’s unfortunate that we failed to hold the Pakistan of Quaid and Iqbal due to some people’s vested interests and lust for power. For 33 years, a quarter million patriotic Pakistanis are camping in 66 shanties in Bangladesh.”
Maqboolur Rahman Abbasi said Iqbal’s message should be spread to the common Pakistanis “so we could have more Iqbals in future.” He wanted the education minister to seek assistance of scholars in matters related to education syllabus.