Poet Iqbal commemorated in Tehran

TEHRAN,May 18(MNA) -- Pakistani poet Muhammad Iqbal (1877–1938) was commemorated during a ceremony organized by the Embassy of Pakistan in Tehran on Wednesday. Several Iranian officials and literati attended the ceremony, which was held at the residence of Pakistani Ambassador Khalid Aziz Babar. Pakistani and Iranian poets recited poems by Iqbal and on Iqbal during the event. A number of scholars also read articles about the poet. Iqbal, also known as Allama Iqbal, was a philosopher, poet and politician in British India who presented the idea of a separate homeland for Indian Muslims which was ultimately realized in the form of Pakistan in 1947. With literary work in both the Urdu and Persian languages, he is considered to be one of the most important figures in Urdu literature. Iqbal has been recognized and quoted as “the Poet of the East” by academics.