Iqbal’s poetry has strengthened Kashmir’s freedom movement, Ali Raza Syed
Frankfurt: Chairman of Kashmir Council Europe, Ali Raza Sayed has said that Allama Iqbal has greatly strengthened Kashmir’s freedom movement by describing the sufferings and difficulties of Kashmiris in his revolutionary poetry.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Ali Raza Syed expressed these views while addressing a poets’ meeting and discussion of intellectuals in memory of Allama Iqbal, the Poet of East and German poet Goethe, the Poet of West in Frankfurt, Germany.
The event was organized by the Human Rights Association, Germany, which was chaired by the Ambassador of Pakistan to Germany, Syeda Saqlain, while the Consul General of Pakistan in Frankfurt, Zahid Hussain, was invited as the chief guest. Chairman of Kashmir Council, Europe, Ali Raza Syed also attended the event as a special guest.
Apart from them, Prof. Dr Shahid Alam from Pakistan, Dr Arlan Hopf of Heidelberg University Germany, Pakistani anchor Iqrarul Hassan and many other intellectuals, poets and experts were also invited while Chairman of Human Welfare Association Syed Iqbal Haider performed as host of the event.
Ali Raza Syed said my spiritual affinity with Allama Iqbal is not without reason. Allama was also a Kashmiri and I also belong to the same land of Kashmir which is considered like a paradise. Allama Iqbal had immense love for Kashmir which he expressed on many occasions in his poetry, letters and deeds. He was proud that he was a Kashmiri.
One of his Persian poems is also an expression of this, the Urdu translation of which is something like this: “My body is a flower of garden of Kashmir and my heart is from the land of Hijaz (holy land) and my voice is from Shiraz (a city of Persia)”. Iqbal also expresses his love for Kashmir in his other poems.
When he reached Lahore from Sialkot, he joined the Kashmiri Muslim Association, an organization established by Kashmiri Muslims, and became an active worker to such an extent that he was made the secretary general of the association.
He went to Kashmir in 1921. Maharaja Pratab Singh was eager to host him but he did not accept to be his guest. He wandered around in different cities, towns and villages of Kashmir which is like paradise.
In any struggle for freedom movement, the involvement of a poet plays a very important role and Iqbal has raised the voice of oppressed Kashmiris in his poetry.
The freedom movement in the occupied Jammu and Kashmir valley had started in 1931. Iqbal gave a message to the Kashmiri Muslims to break the chains of subjugation and oppression and motivated the spirit of freedom among the Kashmiris.
In his book Javed Nama, Iqbal has given a message to Kashmiri Muslims to break the chains of slavery. Allama Iqbal died in 1939. Even before departing from this mortal world on the journey to the world of survival, he continued to give voice to the oppressed, forced and subjugated Kashmiris.
He had prayed that in those days, “Oh, God, break the hands which oppressed the people of Kashmir and trampled the spirit of freedom of Kashmir”.
Allama was saddened that the British sold over the entire valley to Maharaja Gulab Singh Dogra, the oppressive and brutal ruler after receiving a payment of 75 lakh Nanakshahi coins from him. Allama Iqbal also formed the All India Kashmir Committee in 1931.
Ali Raza Syed said, “We are still following Iqbal’s thoughts and are continuing the struggle for the freedom of Kashmir and are running an awareness campaign on Kashmir’s dispute and rights of Kashmiris across Europe. Our struggle will continue until the oppression of Kashmiris ends and the right of self-determination of Kashmiris is not given to them.”
