President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday called for ensuring equality among all citizens, saying national poet Dr Allama Iqbal envisioned a society where wealth, privilege and inherited status would not determine an individual’s worth or opportunities.
In his message on the 149th birth anniversary of Iqbal, the president said the national poet’s words awakened a people to their dignity, their rights and their power to shape their own destiny.”Iqbal gave intellectual direction to the aspirations of the Muslims of the Subcontinent. His poetry also spoke to a wider human struggle: the pursuit of freedom, equality and a life of self-respect,” he said.
Iqbal’s poetry challenged exploitation, called for the awakening of the poor and upheld the dignity of labour, he added.According to President Zardari, the national poet had placed ordinary people at the centre of humanity’s future, saying Iqbal’s vision of an egalitarian society calls upon the nation to build a Pakistan where the worker receives a fair wage, the farmer enjoys the fruits of his labour, and every child can learn and advance, regardless of family circumstances, gender or faith.
Referring to Iqbal’s vision of khudi, the president said that it grows through knowledge, effort, courage and strength of character.
“A person conscious of his or her own dignity must also respect the dignity of others. The same principle applies to nations.
“National self-respect demands the capacity to make independent decisions, develop the country’s own strengths and engage with other countries on the basis of equality and mutual respect.”
