Report: Naseem Hassan/ANI
MUZAFFARABAD –Prime Minister Azad Jammu and Kashmir Iftikhar Gilani has said that Allama Muhammad Iqbal's universal message of unity, self-respect and continuous struggle remains a beacon of guidance for the Muslim Ummah, particularly the younger generation.
In a statement issued on the birth anniversary of Allama Iqbal, the Prime Minister said that Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah translated Iqbal's vision of a separate homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent into reality through the creation of Pakistan.
Referring to Iqbal's vision for Kashmir, Gilani said that, as a son of the soil, Iqbal considered Jammu and Kashmir an integral part of his vision for the Muslim homeland.
He regretted that the Kashmiri people, whose suffering was reflected in Iqbal's poetry, continued to live under Indian occupation. However, he said that Indian oppression and atrocities had failed to weaken their spirit of freedom or diminish their courage.
The Prime Minister expressed confidence that the day was not far when the people of Kashmir would achieve their long-cherished goal of freedom.
He also paid rich tribute to Allama Iqbal for awakening political consciousness among the Muslims of the subcontinent through his poetry and visionary ideas.
