Independence day of Pakistan

Under the dynamic leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the Muslims of India achieved an independent state Pakistan on 14th August 1947. To commemorate this day, the people of Pakistan celebrate 14th August with enthusiasm and fervor.

The 1st of August marks the beginning of preparations for the celebrations. The streets are decorated with mini flags and green and white stripes; the colour of the Pakistani flag.

Big flags are hoisted on all buildings and houses. Some buildings are also decorated with small colorful bulbs which present a beautiful picture when lit at night. The air echoes with patriotic songs. Shops offer special discounts to the customers.

In schools the children prepare special programs and present tableaus. Quiz competitions and national songs competitions are also held. Debates, declamation and essay competitions are held on national level. Students, the future of the country resolve to work for the betterment of the country and pledge to protect their motherland from enemies.

The day begins with special prayers. At 8:00 am sharp, the National Anthem is played throughout the country. Special programs are held at the Presidency in Islamabad and in the 4 provincial capitals. People visit the mausoleums of Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal to pay homage to the two great leaders.

Special plays highlighting the significance of the day are aired on radio and TV. Newspapers issue special editions to commemorate this day.

At night people go on long drives to watch the beautifully illuminated buildings. The day ends with a spectacular display of fireworks.

Allama Iqbal’s poetry and books – source of inspiration for Muslims

Allama Iqbal was born Muhammad Iqbal in the year 1877 in Sialkot. This was in the times of British India when the nation had not been partitioned. The region of Sialkot now falls in Pakistan. He was a Muslim poet, philosopher, and a politician. He was adept in many languages such as Urdu, Persian and Arabic and became one of the greatest poets of the modern era. He propagated the idea of a separate state for Muslims which was to be the main basis for the creation of Pakistan.

Allama Iqbal completed his education in Germany and England and later on started his own law practice. But his primary interest lay in writing scholarly articles about a wide range of subjects which enveloped politics, economics, history, religion and the like. His poems generally had the praise of the glories of Islamic civilization for their main theme. Allama Iqbal’s poetry was mainly influenced by the works of Maulana Rumi. Allama Iqbal tried to spread out the niceties of the religion of Islam and projected its future. According to him, a pure and one-minded focus on the religion would lead to a greater understanding of life as well as of politics.

Allama Iqbal, who was one of the greatest poets belonging to the Indo Pak subcontinent, conceived the idea of an independent Muslim state, Pakistan. He is the National poet of Pakistan, although he died 9 years before the country came into being. He composed many masterpieces still remembered with great fondness by the citizens of the nation in our time. He wrote a huge miscellany of works mainly concerned with the revival of the religion of Islam. Among these, it is not easy to find out the most inspirational ones of the Allama Iqbal’s because of the fact that each comprises a study in itself which every student of poetic history should concentrate on with great precision. But relying on the popularity quotient, a list of the Allama Iqbal’s books would include Baang-e-Dara, which was published in 1924, Baal-e-Jibreel, in 1935, Zarb-e-Kaleem, in 1936, Armughan-e-Hejaz, in 1938, and, finally, the great masterpiece in English, the Child and the Lamp. Almost all of his books were renditions to the people of Pakistan, or, more importantly, meant for Muslims to understand the importance and quality of their religion. This was supposed to inspire them to greater heights and try and reclaim the rightful position of Islam in history.