An “Inter-University Speech Competition” was organised here on Thursday at Mazar-e-Quaid to pay homage to the national poet of Pakistan Allama Dr Muhammad Iqbal on ‘Iqbal Day’. Students from 11 universities participated in the speech competition jointly organised by the Mazar-e-Quaid Management Board (QMMB), the National Heritage and the Pakistan Women Foundation for peace.
Azad Aftab Iqbal, the grandson of Dr Iqbal, was the chief guest while Justice (Retd) Wajihuddin Ahmed presided over the ceremony held at Audio Visual Hall of QMMB. Addressing the participants, Azad said the Allama was a saint; Iranians call him Iqbal Lahori, people of the West regard him as philosopher of the East while Urdu speaking community calls him as ‘Poet of the East’. Praising the speeches delivered by the students in connection with Iqbal Day, Azad termed Allama’s philosophy, a vast ocean and said, “The message of ‘Selfness’ (khudi) is summary of his philosophy.”
Azad recited some poems of his grandfather and said, “These verses are a beacon for our youth.” “We are getting closer to Iqbal because what he felt through his poetic thought is still felt by us in our individual and national life,” Azad said.
He said that Iqbal came into the world before his time and left at a time when he was needed the most.
He said that Iqbal was a great thinker, and he faced the opposition on the political, religious and social fronts courageously. Azad paid his respects to Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah at his grave, visited the memorial hall of Mazar-e-Quaid and also recorded his thoughts in visitor’s diary. Later, he distributed prizes to the winners of the speech competition.
