Pakistan People’s Party co-chairman on Sunday paid tribute to the national poet Allama Iqbal on his birth anniversary.
“On the 138th birth anniversary of Allama Muhammad Iqbal, the sage, poet and philosopher, the best way to pay homage to him is to reiterate our resolve not to allow anyone to exploit religion for foisting their own political agenda or for perpetrating violence”, said former president Asif Ali Zardari in a message on the occasion.
Iqbal believed that nobody held monopoly over interpretation of religion which was a living and dynamic force that needed to be continuously interpreted, he said.
“Let us not fear in reinterpreting religious thought in the light of teachings of Allama Iqbal,” Zardari said.
He also called upon the people to forge unity in their ranks and resist those who seek to foist their political agenda on the people through force behind the facade of religion.
He said that Allama Muhammad Iqbal not only gave the vision of a separate homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent but also gave courage to the people to hold free and critical inquiry to understand the true message of religion instead of blindly following the dogmas.
“On his birth anniversary today we rejoice and celebrate the life and teachings of Allama Iqbal,” he said.
He said that the message of Islam had been ruthlessly distorted by the extremists and militants and called for correcting the distortions by drawing inspiration from the teachings and philosophy of Iqbal.
