Women and the Architecture of Nationhood: Iqbal’s Message in the Context of Balochistan

Iqbal’s Message for the Women of Pakistan—
Delivered at the International Conference on Iqbal Studies…..Quetta Balochistan

Respected President, Ladies and Gentlemen, venerable scholars, keepers of intellect and artistry, and devoted seekers of the Iqbalian flame—
Peace be upon you, and the mercy and blessings of Almighty Allah SWT.

We assemble today not for a mere academic exercise, nor for the pale luxury of philosophical speculation, but for a task of weight and consequence—one that, if rightly embraced, may shape the very destiny of a people. I stand before you to speak on “Iqbal’s Message for the Women of Balochistan in the Present Age, and their role in the advancement of Pakistan and its nationhood.” It is a theme that summons not only the mind but the spirit; it demands not only scholarship but resolve.

For we touch upon a matter that tests the sinews of civilisation. To speak on this subject is to sound the knocker upon the gates of history, to inhale the rarefied air of literature, and to examine the mirror in which our present age stands revealed with all its glories and defects.
Iqbal—whose name resounds as the heartbeat of the subcontinent, whose vision pierced the mists clouding the destiny of the Muslim world—was not merely a poet, nor merely a philosopher. He was a sentinel of civilisation, a builder of character, a torchbearer of khudi, that inner sovereignty which steels the weak and emboldens the daring. His light, if we preserve it, shall guide generations yet unborn.

In Iqbal’s reckoning, woman is not the silent adornment of the household. She is the lamp of destiny, the bright flame of khudi, whose glow illumines the course of nations. He saw in her the strength that stabilises identity, the grace that nurtures families, and the wisdom that shapes nations.

If one may dare a metaphor worthy of his vision, woman is “the moon blooming in the orchard of sanctity”—gentle yet pervasive, suffusing the home with harmony and the nation with hope. She is, in the realm of literature, the sun of metaphor: radiant, awakening, life-bestowing.
Iqbal did not relegate her to the margins. She stands, in his universe, at the very prologue of civilisation—the light of discernment, the steadfast star. At times she rises in the lofty dignity of Fāṭimah al-Zahrāʾ (عليها السلام); at others she strides forward like the valiant heroines of Islamic history, resolute in their courage and unshaken in their purpose.
He proclaimed
:وجودِ زن سے ہے تصویرِ کائنات میں رنگ
اسی کے ساز سے ہے زندگی کا سوزِ دروں
“It is woman’s being that lends colour to the very canvas of the cosmos;
From her harp echoes the deep, throbbing music of life.”

And if any doubt should remain, let the Qur’anic declaration be recalled:
﴿وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِي آدَمَ﴾
“Indeed, We have honoured the children of Adam.” (Surah al-Isrāʾ, 17:70)

This honour, noble and uncompromising, extends equally to women—the custodians of civilisation’s future.
Pakistan was never meant to be a mere territory drawn by cartographers. It was, and remains, an idea—bold, arduous, uncompromising. And Iqbal, the architect of that idea, envisioned woman not as an adjunct but as a pillar of the nation’s edifice. In his imagination of the Millat, she was central, not peripheral.

Today, however, the women of Pakistan—and the steadfast daughters of Balochistan in particular—stand upon a battlefield of trials: the relentless charge of technology, the shifting sands of social custom, the burdens of economic hardship, the force of illiteracy, and the shadows of misunderstanding. But Iqbal, with his leonine simplicity, offers an answer befitting the bold: alter the mode of thought, and destiny itself shall turn upon its hinges.

His first call is education—not the brittle education of rote and formality, but the liberating education that awakens the mind and ennobles the spirit. For when a woman is educated, a generation rises with her. When she becomes conscious of her dignity, she becomes a maker of decisions at home, in society, and in the state.

Iqbal does not deny her participation in the economic sphere; he only insists that she move through it crowned in dignity, her character unblemished, her contribution refining the moral climate of society.

Above all, he entrusted to woman the cradle of the future. For he knew that the child absorbs from the mother’s presence the colours that later paint the character of the nation. This is leadership of the highest order—quiet, steadfast, and decisive.

Modern nations cannot march into the future while leaving half their population behind. And Iqbal believed women capable of bearing their share—nay, their rightful share—in politics, statesmanship, diplomacy, social reform, and national service, all within the fine balance of the civilisation that shaped us.

For in Iqbal’s world, khudi is the lamp that drives back darkness. When it is kindled in a woman’s heart, she becomes dignified in bearing, resolute in purpose, discerning in judgment, and unwavering in her ascent toward destiny.

The women of Pakistan must never deem themselves ordinary. They are a reservoir of unmined strength, a pillar of the national structure, and the guardians of generations yet to come. They are, in truth, among the architects of tomorrow.

Let them rise as Iqbal intended—with dignity, courage, and the flame of khudi at their core.
In contemplating the civilisational role of woman, one beholds in her nature both “the sun of knowledge” and “the moon of affection,” each glowing with equal splendour. She is the silent sanctuary of the home and the lamp that burns upon the ramparts of society. She is the vigilant eye of the nation; and when that eye remains open, the nation does not slumber, nor does destiny steal past unnoticed. To Iqbal, woman is nothing less than the basīrat—the moral and intellectual sight—of the community: its nurture, its dignity, its cultural consciousness all derives, in one way or another, from her.

And if literary grace and refinement be invoked, the age has long acknowledged the woman’s contribution—her pen, her temperament, her innate eloquence. She is the custodian of linguistic purity; the guardian of that gentle chastity of language which elevates a people. In the delicate beauty of language, Iqbal finds in woman a vessel of scholarly poise and cultural dignity. His message to the women of Pakistan is therefore unambiguous: guard your language, preserve your culture, hold fast to your intellectual inheritance—for in these lie your true strength.

We know that in Islamic civilisation the woman is the “keeper of the household trust” and the “spirit of social balance.” When woman is refined, society too becomes refined. But Iqbal adds to this a dimension both dynamic and vigorous: movement and purposeful agency. Thus woman becomes not only the light of civilisation, the purity of language, and the moral axis, but—through Iqbal’s gift—the radiant sun of khudi. Together these four dimensions sketch the future of the Pakistani woman.

But the question inevitably arises: How shall the women of Pakistan, and the steadfast daughters of Balochistan in particular, seek guidance from Iqbal today?

When we cast our gaze upon the rugged lands of Balochistan, bordering Afghanistan and shaped by history’s stern winds, we find that the challenges before its women are not light, neither intellectually nor physically. The province stands among those with the lowest literacy rates. Recent reports inform us that women’s literacy hovers near a mere 26 percent, while in many rural districts, girls are deprived of even the most rudimentary education. It is estimated that nearly 70 percent of girls drop out of school. Upon such a stark foundation, Iqbal’s doctrine of khudi becomes not a poetic abstraction but an indispensable instrument of awakening—an inner strength that opens the gates of learning and establishes a standard that cannot easily be undone.

Similarly, Balochistan shares with other provinces the severe social burdens that weigh upon mothers and children. According to one report, for every 100,000 births, 298 mothers depart from this world, entrusted once more to the Creator. Family planning needs remain unmet by nearly 38 percent. Traditional power structures retain their hold; women still face barriers to justice. And surveys show that domestic and gender-based violence persists at alarming levels.

These are the facts that compel us to remember that khudi, as Iqbal conceived it, is not a mere rallying cry—it is the bedrock of practical consciousness. Give a woman self-knowledge and self-respect, and she will not only lift her own life but shield her family and strengthen her society.

A third formidable challenge is the limited political participation of women in Balochistan. Reports reveal that women hold few positions of influence; their presence in the civil service is scarce; and political engagement remains low, with voter turnout recorded at around 37.4 percent. Yet, amid these grim figures, some hopeful measures have been initiated: a Women’s Economic Empowerment Fund has been established to provide loans and entrepreneurial opportunities; legal aid desks and gender desks have been set up to support women facing injustice. These developments show that the women of Balochistan are not merely beneficiaries of progress—they are destined to be its architects, if only the chains of impediment may be loosened.

If we turn to Iqbal’s luminous style, we discern a call to honour woman with the respect that polishes her character and fortifies her selfhood. In his verse beats a rhythm of cultural pride and intellectual majesty, harmonised with the doctrine of khudi. In his metaphors, woman’s stature is not material alone but moral, intellectual, and civilisational. He demands that her role in character-building and service be viewed through the lens of Islamic ethics and social justice. In Iqbal’s intellectual architecture lies a spirit capable of granting the women of Balochistan not merely recognition, but a noble responsibility—an invitation to cultural awakening, to the strength of selfhood, and to the grand endeavour of nation-building.

And yet, solutions require action. Our women must fortify their faith. Let them regard education not as adornment but as capital. Let them discover their khudi—for therein lies their true power. Let them employ their abilities in the service of the nation. Let them guard their feminine dignity, for it is not weakness but distinction. Let them master the demands of technology, science, and the modern world. Let them hold the balance across home, society, and nation.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Iqbal’s message is not a fragile relic of poetic memory; it is a torch for the mountains of Balochistan today. The Baloch woman—if she grasps the light of khudi, arms herself with education, and takes her rightful place in the march of progress—shall not only transform her own life, but reshape the destiny of her province and of Pakistan. It is our shared duty—of policymakers, scholars, religious leaders, and the common citizen—to breathe life into this message. The women of Balochistan are not a passing beam but an undying radiance; in their dignity and selfhood lies the promise of a just, progressive, and flourishing future.

Pakistan’s destiny is not held by men alone; it rests in the cradles of mothers, in the aspirations of daughters, and in the prayers of sisters.

Iqbal’s call is clear: let the women of Pakistan be dignified, conscious, and awakened—partners in the building of the nation. For the contribution of woman to nationhood is not a favour; it is a law of history. Iqbal declared:

اگر ہو عشق تو ہے کافر بھی مسلمانی
نہ ہو تو مردِ مسلماں بھی کافر و زندیق
“With true passion, even the unbeliever attains the glow of faith;
Without it, even the Muslim may be lost in disbelief.”

Today, the women of Pakistan must embrace this passion—the passion for country, for principle, for character, and for khudi. Only then shall Pakistan rise into that bright and honourable future which Iqbal envisioned—resolute, dignified, radiant, and guardian of its civilisation.

May Allah SWT grant our young women the clarity to understand Iqbal’s message, the courage to embody it, and the strength to inscribe upon Pakistan’s brow the dawn that history has promised.
Wa-s-salāmu ʿalaykum wa Raḥmatullāhi wa Barakātuh.