Nation marks Allama Iqbal's 149th birth anniversary on Monday
The government has declared Monday a public holiday, and offices and schools will close while Radio Pakistan airs special programmes.
The nation will mark the 149th birth anniversary of national poet Dr Allama Muhammad Iqbal on Monday, the state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
Iqbal was born in Sialkot on Nov. 9, 1877, and his philosophical poetry and political thinking encouraged Muslims across the subcontinent to see themselves as a distinct community.
His 1930 Allahabad Address set out a clear political direction for the Muslims of the subcontinent and strengthened their demand for a separate identity and homeland.
The government has declared Nov. 9 a public holiday nationwide, and public and private offices as well as educational institutions will be closed for the occasion.
Radio Pakistan will broadcast special programmes on Iqbal's poetry, philosophy, intellectual contributions and message to the nation as part of the Iqbal Day celebrations.
Iqbal, who died in 1938, is widely regarded in Pakistan as the spiritual thinker behind the idea of a separate homeland, a role that places him at the centre of the country's national memory.
His poetry in Urdu and Persian remains part of the school curriculum and is widely recited at official events, which is why the day is observed with formal programmes across the country.
For residents, the holiday means that offices, banks, schools and colleges will be closed on Monday, Nov. 9.
