Political unity to secure independence, sovereignty urged

Speakers at a discussion meeting on the 85th death anniversary of Poet Allama Iqbal called for unity to restore the political ideology of the country and secure its independence and sovereignty.

The discussion meeting was organized by the Bangladesh Muslim League with itws executive president Abdul Aziz Hawladar in the chair. Advocate Mohsin Rashid was the chief guest at the function which was addressed by political leaders, academics, poets and journalists.

The speakers eologised the role of Poet Iqbal in creating the idea of self rule of Muslims in the Northwest and Eastern Part of India. He was a Barrister, university a teacher, a politician and a historian who wanted the Muslims to rise to eminence from decadence that they has been suffering from in the early part of the last century. 

Asaduzzaman Fuad, joint secretary of AB Party called for testoring the names of Iqbal and Jannah in Dhaka University Halls and said the people should know the heroes and villains of our history.

Col (retd) Abdul Huq called for should changing chacters of poliktical leaders to properly led the country. Idealism should be the basis of politics, he added.

Nurul Huq Nur, president, Gono Odhikar Parishad, said his party is trying to float a political platform for movement for democracy.

Former MP Ahsan Habib Lincoln said that during the last 50 years of independence many industries were closed or destroyed. But at one point of time East Asian countries used to view development in Bangladesh as a model. He called for refraining from making wrong remarks on the leaders of the democratic movement and said they were enjoining the confidence and support of millions of people and hold the only promise to restore sovereignty.

Poet Mahmud Hasan Nizami said that Poet Iqbal has been removed from books in India but his lyric is used as India's defence music. The poet was was called anti-Islam, and collaborator of the British during his life time but he proved all those wrong. He termed Iqbal as a poet of Islamic ideology, a philosopher, a historian, and a jurist who inspired Muslims of the subcontinent to establish their own homeland, and those of the world to assert their role.

Barrister Major (retd) Sarwar Hossain said in Bangladesh good and honest people are on the run while dishonest people are running the country. All promotions and postings are dictated from abroad. Bangladesh is not an enemy country of our neighbour, but a slave country. We should free ourselves from this bondage. Unity and democratic leadership is needed for this, he added.

Prof. Abdul Latif Masum said that Poet Allama Iqbal laid the ideologicall foudation of Pakistan and Bangladesh. Failure of the politics of Muslim League and Islamists is responsible for the present state politics in Bangladesh he said adding that only power should not be goal of politics. We should reconstruct Islamic thought, he added. 

Kazi Abul Khair secretary general of Bangladesh Muslim League said that the party set up by Nawab Sir Salimullah provided the platform of great men like Poet Iqbal and Mohammad Ali Jinnah to fight for Muslims of the subcontinent. 

Adv. Mohsin Rashid eulogized the gifted poet Allama Iqbal and said there is a road named after him Heidelberg. He taught Arabic literature at University of London. Iqbal refused to take knighthood before his teacher was honoured by the British naming him as Shamsul Ulema.

He said it has becomes difficult to speak on Iqbal in Bangladesh. Religious people also cannot move about freely by performing rites. The good news however is, younger people are going to mosques to say prayer. We should rise above sick politics and restore ideological politics, he added.

Giasuddin Khokan, KM Rashidul Islam Ripon of desh bachao, manush bachao andolan and Lion Farukh Chairman, Labour Party also spoke at the function. – GreenWatch News Desk