By Aymen Zaheer
RIYADH — Pakistan Writers Club (PWC) together with its Ladies Chapter (PWC-LC) hosted an event recently to remember poet-thinker Allama Mohammad Iqbal on the occasion of his 139th birth anniversary.
Pakistani Ambassador Manzoor Ul Haq and his wife Nighat Manzoor were the chief guests on the occasion.
Pakistan Writers Club is an association of Pakistani writers, poets and journalists.
PWC President Abdul Rauf Mughal presided over the event, which was attended by a large number of people from different walks of life.
The event was ably conducted by PWC General Secretary Ehsan Abbasi and Farah Ehsan, convener PWC-LC.
The event was divided into two parts. The first part consisted of speeches and presentations focusing on the teachings and messages of Allama Iqbal.
The second part was a farewell for PWC Vice President Syed Khawaja Nehal Uddin, who is leaving the Kingdom for good.
The proceedings of the event got under way with the recitation from the Holy Qur'an by Hafiz Kaleem Iqbal and melodious Naat by Almas Mumtaz.
An amazing performance of children, in which they performed a beautiful tableau on Iqbal’s melodious poetry “Lab Pe Aati Hai Dua”. The children, veiled as Iblis (devil), performed some melodious stanzas and won big applause from the audience.
Ambreen Faiz and Madiha Malik read out Iqbal’s poems. A thought-provoking dialogue in satire was presented on Iqbal by the duo of Syed Khawaja Nehal Uddin and H.M. Fayyaz. Hameed Rizvi sang an ode and received appreciations from the audience.
Shumaila Malik (PWC-LC finance secretary) presented an effective speech that focused on the teachings of Iqbal.
Fayyaz Malik, a senior member of PWC, emphasized Iqbal's concept that man's position in this universe was that of a completely independent thinking entity.
Qundeel Aymen, a founding member of PWC-LC, gave an impressive presentation on the concepts of Iqbal’s Khudi (Self). She said along with all his ideologies, Khudi was the hallmark of Iqbal’s poetry.
Prof. Javed Iqbal presented a speech especially written for the occasion comparing Iqbal's life and teachings with another legendary poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz.
Faiz Al-Najdi, adviser to PWC president, speaking on the farewell of Nehal Uddin, shared his memories with his childhood friend and classmate. He highlighted many shades of his best friend. He said Nehal is the only child of his parents and therefore was blessed with many luxuries of life. “Nehal has rendered selfless services for PWC and with his departure from the Kingdom we are going to lose one of its assets,” Al-Najdi added.
Nehal Uddin, in his reply speech, said it was an honor for him to be a part of PWC. He said he would miss his companions in the club. He thanked all members of PWC and PWC-LC for their loyalty and sincerity. He read out his farewell speech entitled, “Mein Sathya Gya Hoon” and got huge appreciation from the audience.
Ambassador Haq in his address mentioned that Allama Iqbal persuaded Jinnah to lead the Muslims of the subcontinent. “Pakistan came into being due to the vision of Allama Iqbal for a separate homeland," he added.
Haq also lauded the performances of the children, appreciated the efforts of PWC and its ladies chapter for hosting such an interesting event in remembrance of Allama Iqbal.
Abdul Rauf Mughal paying tributes to Iqbal said there was an utmost need to follow the teachings of Allama Iqbal. He added that Iqbal gave the message of solidarity and harmony, not only to Muslims of the Subcontinent but also to the humans across the globe. He thanked the ambassador for gracing this event.
Bidding farewell to Nehal Uddin, he said PWC and its ladies chapter remained indebted to him for his services for the club. He also thanked each member of PWC and PWC-LC for their hard work in making the event a great success.
In the end, memento shields were presented to Nehal Uddin, Muhammad Idress and journalist Abid Shamoon. The event concluded on a happy note.
