Allama Iqbal’s 150th birth anniversary: NA body for holding events in educational institutions

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on the National Heritage & Culture Division called for holding events in educational institutions to celebrate Allama Iqbal’s 150th birth anniversary and engage the youth.

The Standing Committee on the National Heritage & Culture Division held its fourth meeting on Thursday. The meeting was held in the Pakistan National Council of Arts under the chairpersonship of MNA Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar.

The NA body approved the minutes of the previous meeting, followed by an in-depth discussion on the compliance report regarding the recommendations of the last meeting.

Regarding the recommendation to interview Allama Iqbal’s family members and preserve the content in a book, the Secretary of the National Heritage and Culture Division reported that the Iqbal Academy Pakistan had already recorded interviews with Allama Iqbal's son and daughter about his life and work. He further stated that the Academy was compiling and editing these interviews for publication. The Committee recommended that the Academy preserve these interviews in a book and publish it before Allama Iqbal’s 150th birth anniversary, also sharing the content on social media.

The Secretary also informed the Committee that the Terms of Reference and composition for the Coordination Committee on Interfaith Harmony and Cultural Enhancement—including federal and provincial members, as recommended in the previous meeting—had been prepared and submitted to the National Assembly Secretariat for approval of the Standing Committee. The Committee decided that the documents be forwarded to the Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly for approval and necessary action.

Finally, the Director General of the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) delivered a comprehensive briefing on the PNCA's functions, including its course offerings, duration, scope, enrolment, national day celebrations, VVIP visits, and the exhibitions and workshops it organizes for youth. The Committee recommended that the PNCA better project the cultural events it organizes, particularly those held abroad. The Committee also decided to hold its next meeting in Karachi.

The meeting was attended by Ms. Natasha Daultana, Samar Haroon Bilour, Saeeda Jamshid, Shaista Khan, Mahtab Akbar Rashdi, Saba Talpur, Naeema Kishwer Khan, and Sanjay Perwani, MNAs. The Secretary and other senior officers from the National Heritage and Culture Division were also present.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025