JEDDAH, 23 November 2005 — Speakers at a function held here under the auspices of the Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC) called for setting up an academy to carry out research on Allama Iqbal. The PRC function held to mark the 128th birth anniversary of Iqbal also called for including him in the school syllabus in order to acquaint a new generation with his teachings.
Monawar Hashmi, an expert on Iqbal, who presided over the function, regretted the lack of research on Iqbal in Pakistan. “There has been extensive research on Iqbal in the West, including Germany and Britain, but the amount of research carried out in Pakistan has been negligible,” he said. Hashmi criticized writers who create confusion about Iqbal.
Another speaker, Ashfaque Mazhar, echoed Hashmi’s demand that books on Iqbal be taught in schools.
PRC convener Ehsanul Haque said Iqbal’s teachings and philosophy transcended geographical boundaries and were not bound by time. He said Iqbal was not merely a poet of the East but was read and applauded internationally.
Concerning the earthquake victims, Ehsan said the government should institute a rehabilitation fund for the survivors. He said the government should not count only on international donations. It should take immediate steps to save the lives of people left homeless by the quake. He said the Pakistan government should approach the Kingdom to provide the 200,000 fiberglass tents used in Mina during Haj to save people from the extreme cold weather. The tents are easily set up and dismantled, are fireproof and can also withstand extreme cold weather.
About the stranded Pakistanis, he said they are patriotic Pakistanis and should not be left in camps in Bangladesh.
The PRC adopted resolutions calling on President Pervez Musharraf to set up a 250-billion-rupee fund for constructing 640,000 houses to accommodate 600,000 quake-hit families in addition to 40,000 stranded Pakistani families. It also urged the president to reactivate the Rabita Trust and begin the repatriation of the stranded people.
Nisar Ahmed, the chief guest, who is also the founder and chief patron of the Muslim Welfare & Development Organization (MWO), spoke about the plight of stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh. MWO is an organization which extends financial support to stranded Pakistani families. He said the MWO was planning to launch a program to educate youngsters and called for financial help from philanthropists.
The PRC asked the Pakistan government to direct Pakistan’s high commissioner in Dhaka to look after the stranded Pakistanis until they were brought back to Pakistan. It also asked charitable organizations — Edhi Trust and those belonging to Jamaat-e-Islami, Muslim League, MQM, People’s Party, Tehrik-e-Insaf — to help the stranded Pakistanis. The PRC appreciated the meeting of federal Minister Babar Ghouri with the delegation of stranded Pakistanis in Dhaka on Nov. 13 that led the Stranded Pakistanis General Repatriation Committee members to call off their hunger strike.
The resolution said the opening of the LOC augurs well for the resolution of the Kashmir dispute and will facilitate divided Kashmiri families in sharing their grief at the loss of loved ones after the quake.
Mohammad Jamil recited verses from the Holy Qur’an and Asad Khan presented Naat.
Poets Nasim Sehar, Zamurrad Khan Saifi, Abdul Qayyum Waseq, Syed Mohsin Alavi recited poems to pay tributes to Iqbal. The function was conducted by Hamid Islam Khan.
