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Special Lecture on
Awake Leader of Slumbering Asia
Organized by
MUSLIM Institute |
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Muslim Institute organised a special lecture titled “Awake Leader of Slumbering Asia” to mark the 216th anniversary of the martyrdom of the great sub-continental leader, Tipu Sultan. Foreign delegations, diplomats, researchers, parliamentarians, academics, journalists and students of colleges and universities participated in the lecture. Public Relations Coordinator of Muslim institute, Mr. Tahir Mehmood moderated the proceedings.
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Opening Remarks
Dr. Alia Sohail Khan
Principal, Postgraduate College for Women, Rawalpindi
It is absolutely vital for any nation to remember its history and national heroes. Our ancestors preferred to sacrifice their lives rather than appeasing their worldly desires because the sacrifice of a soldier is life-giving for the nation. The defeat in battlefield is not a defeat of a nation and Tipu Sultan proved it. Passion is more important than victory or defeat on the battlefield. Tipu Sultan preferred to sacrifice his life instead of accepting the humiliating terms of surrender and submitting to his enemy for self-preservation. He said, “(یک دمِ شیری بہ از صد سالِ میش) a single breath of a lion’s life is far better than living for a thousand years as a jackal”. Tipu Sultan was a real soldier and a man of honor. According to Iqbal, Tipu Sultan was a falcon in his nature. He was self-esteemed, soulful and a man of words. He had deep understanding of the Holy Quran and was a true lover of Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Before going into his last battle, he asked for water and said, “I want to present myself before the Holy Prophet (PBUH) in a state of ablution”.
Iqbal has warned us of Satan’s desire to take away devotion for the holy Prophet (PBUH) from Muslims in order to defeat them. Today, our educational institutions are churning out readers unable to appreciate the knowledge they read. Unfortunately, the traditions which are being promoted in our society these days are distracting us from our rich history and taking us away from our ideology. According to Iqbal, uncertainty is disaster for nations and today we face great uncertainty while our faith becomes ever weaker. Our students are taught false accounts of history and encouraged to read colonial history which presents a negative image of Tipu Sultan. More disappointing is our criminal silence on these matters. We should break this silence and stagnation because in today’s world, cultural war is imposed to defeat a nation, and we are facing this war. This cultural war causes far greater destruction than conventional war. That’s why it is said that Britain won the war against Napoleon in the schools. We have to save our national heritage and this is the message of Tipu Sultan. This cultural war not only destroys the morality of a nation but also subverts its self-respect. Such nations accept subservience easily because they lose their courage and spirit of resistance to domination. With reference to today’s event, we should spread this message to every Pakistani: if we want to get back our lost hearth and glory, we have to live like Tipu Sultan. Allama Iqbal said in his bequest for Tipu Sultan:
If you traverse the road of love, donʹt yearn to seek repose or rest;
If Layla be your companion, close that litter shun with great contempt
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Donʹt lose your bearings in this world because with idols it is full;
The assemblage here can cast a spell; disdain, or strings of heart shall pull.
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O streamlet, onward flow and get transformed to torrent strong and deep;
If bank is eʹer on you bestowed; abstain, flow on with mighty sweep.
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Untruth conceals in various masks but Truth and God are both unique;
There can’t be pool ʹtwixt good and bad—this fact is known from times antique.
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Gabriel on creationʹs Early Morn, a piece of useful counsel gave;
He bade me not accept a heart enchained by mind of man like slave.
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Special Lecture
Sardar Attique Ahmad Khan
Former Prime Minister of Azad Jammu & Kashmir
Over the past two decades, Islam’s image has been spoiled in the West. In today’s era of the internet, where the world has become a global village, it has become far easier to present false accounts of history to distract the younger generation. It is our prime responsibility to present true history to our youngsters and tell them that Islam was not spread by sword but with justice, equality and brotherhood. The subcontinent’s leader Tipu Sultan was farsighted and magnificent but unfortunately he is lost in the annals of history. He stood against the British occupation of the subcontinent and defending his homeland, became a martyr in the battlefield. As a leader, he focused on the wellbeing of the general public. He was very magnanimous, religiously tolerant and believed in equality for everyone. In his era, everyone was enjoyed equal rights as these are the actual teachings of the Holy Quran and this is the only reason that there was no tension between different schools of thoughts in society at the time.
Agricultural reforms were part of Tipu Sultan’s agenda. He encouraged horticulture and brought many kinds of vegetable and fruit plants from all over the world and planted in the garden in Bangalore. He encouraged farmers and promoted the cotton industry. He sent out many delegations to different countries to promote trade and business. Tipu Sultan was the first person to introduce rocket technology in the world. Mysori rockets had the target range of many kilometers – blades and swords were used in these. Tipu Sultan was martyred in 1799 and then these rockets were taken to Royal Arsenal Laboratories of Britain in the year 1801. After a few years, new rockets were made there by using the technology used by Tipu Sultan and his father Hyder Ali. Tipu Sultan built a strong naval force and he also wrote a book named as “Fathal Mujahidin” for the standard operating procedures of the army. This book was published by the Government of Pakistan and its preface was written by the then Prime Minister Shaheed Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan.
Our history is enriched with peace, love and harmony and it was the basis on which people of the subcontinent used to live together peacefully for centuries. It is a need of the hour that our youngsters remain affiliated with their history. We should act upon the thoughts of Tipu Sultan to reassure our commitment with education. The saying of Quaid e Azam “Unity, Faith and Discipline” is generally for all of society but more specifically for leaders. Alongside a strong ideology, research, education and strong defense are also very critical for unity and prosperity. Quaid’s personality was reflective of unity, faith and discipline. He defeated two forces to achieve this homeland of ours. It is my firm belief that if Pakistan can come into being, it can prosper and become stable as well. Tipu Sultan and many such leaders’ influence hold this nation together even today.
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At the end of the lecture, a question-answer session was conducted. Many participants and a large number of students participated in this session. Among other things, the panelists discussed:
Today the Muslim world is in dire need of good leadership, but it has great potential. When leaders follow ideological principles, the nation backs them as well. Strength of ideology can only be achieved by spiritual strength, which comes by following the teachings of pious people and Sufis. We need strong defense alongside faith and ideology.
We struggled two hundred years for the freedom of Pakistan, Kashmiris have the passion for freedom and no power on this earth can defeat them as their passion has grown stronger with the passage of time. People raise Pakistani flags in Kashmir in confrontation to Indian brutality. Presence of more than six hundred thousand occupying Indian forces, Kashmiris’ determination has not decreased. Future of Kashmir is to be decided by Kashmiris and very clearly, they want to join Pakistan.
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