Ferdowsi University to host intl. conference on Iqbal

A portrait of Allama Muhammad Iqbal

TEHRAN -- The Ferdowsi University of Mashhad will be playing host to an international conference on Muhammad Iqbal, the Pakistani Muslim poet, philosopher, and politician on April 18 and 19.

A group of literati and experts on Iqbal (1877-1938) coming from India, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan will be attending the two-day conference at the Faculty of Literature and Humanities of the Ferdowsi University.

Muhammad Sohail Umar, Director of the Iqbal Academy in Lahore and Shahzad Qaiser, the Vice President of the academy, are also expected to attend the conference, secretary of the conference Javad Mortezaii told the Persian service of ILNA on Wednesday.

Head of the university is due to make the opening speech, Mortezaii said, adding that Sohail Umar will next deliver his speech on Iqbal and his thoughts, as well as their relevance in the world of today.

Iranian scholar and expert on Iqbal, Mohammad Baqaii Makan, as well as Qaiser will also present their articles on Iqbal on the first day of the conference.

The contemporary condition of the Persian language in Pakistan and the subcontinent will be discussed on the second day of the conference.

Mortezaii further added that the Iqbal Studies Center was established at the Ferdowsi University last year, and that the organizers of the university have plans to teach the Urdu language as an independent course at the university.