{"id":3166,"date":"2026-11-08T21:08:12","date_gmt":"2026-11-08T21:08:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bittertruth.uk\/en\/?p=3166"},"modified":"2026-11-08T21:14:42","modified_gmt":"2026-11-08T21:14:42","slug":"iqbals-jubilee-or-a-nations-shame","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bittertruth.uk\/en\/iqbals-jubilee-or-a-nations-shame\/","title":{"rendered":"Iqbal’s Jubilee or a Nation’s Shame?<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Celebration of Iqbal \u2014 or a Lament for the National Conscience?
\nThe Neglect of Iqbal in the Land of Iqbal: An Elegy for the Nation\u2019s Conscience and a Question for Those Who Govern<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 150-Year Milestone of Allama Muhammad Iqbal\u2019s Birth: A Distressing Indictment of Governmental Priorities, National Ingratitude and the Neglect of a Great Intellectual Legacy<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the history of nations, there are occasions which, though seemingly insignificant in their outward appearance, conceal within them the moral indifference of an entire age, the erosion of a civilisation\u2019s sensibilities, and the quiet defeat of its collective conscience. At times, a brief announcement, the helpless silence of an institution, or an advertisement tucked away in a corner of a newspaper is sufficient to revive questions which the splendour of political authority and the clamour of expediency have long conspired to suppress.<\/p>\n

The recent advertisement issued by the Iqbal Academy Pakistan, announcing an International Iqbal Conference to commemorate the 150-year milestone of the birth of Allama Muhammad Iqbal, presents precisely such a question to the conscience of the nation. The announcement concerns a conference scheduled to take place in Lahore on 8 and 9 November 2026, with the conspicuous participation of a private commercial enterprise among its organisational collaborators.<\/p>\n

There is, of course, nothing inherently objectionable in the involvement of private institutions in academic, literary or cultural endeavours. The patronage of learning ought, indeed, to be regarded as an honourable privilege by every individual and institution possessing the means to offer it. Yet when the occasion concerns a thinker whose intellectual vision awakened among the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent a consciousness of their identity, their freedom and their distinct political destiny, an unavoidable question arises: does the national institution bearing his name possess adequate, dependable and enduring public resources with which to discharge its fundamental scholarly responsibilities?<\/p>\n

If it does not, the matter transcends the narrow confines of financial provision. It becomes a grave question concerning our national priorities, our civilisational sensibilities and our collective capacity for gratitude.<\/p>\n

It is particularly important to recognise that this announcement has appeared at a moment when the nation ought to be preparing to commemorate the sesquicentennial of its great intellectual benefactor with exceptional scholarly distinction and cultural dignity. On 9 November 2026, 149 years will have elapsed since Iqbal\u2019s birth; his 150th birthday will fall on 9 November 2027. The present commemorations therefore mark the beginning of the 150th year since his birth.<\/p>\n

This historic occasion ought to be something infinitely more consequential than a season of ceremonial celebration. It should constitute an invitation to the entire nation to examine its past, scrutinise its present and reflect upon the future it proposes to bequeath to succeeding generations. Why should the very nation to which Iqbal gave a dream now find itself confronted with questions concerning the preservation of his legacy?<\/p>\n

Allama Muhammad Iqbal was no mere poet whose greatness might be adequately acknowledged through a succession of official ceremonies, conventional speeches, commemorative photographs or wreaths of flowers. He was an epoch-making thinker, an intellectually vigilant guide to his people, a profound exponent of the philosophy of Khudi \u2014 the self \u2014 and a visionary who kindled the light of freedom amid the gathering darkness of subjugation.<\/p>\n

At a time when political helplessness, cultural disorientation and collective despair threatened to obscure the future of the Muslims of the subcontinent, Iqbal awakened them to an awareness of their latent powers. He taught them that dignity and ascendancy could never be secured merely by contemplating the splendours of a departed age. They demanded knowledge, purposeful endeavour, moral steadfastness, intellectual liberty and the possession of an independent spirit.<\/p>\n

In an atmosphere of servitude, he dared to imagine freedom. Among a people whose confidence had been wounded, he restored a sense of possibility. He conceived a collective existence founded upon human dignity and the highest spiritual and moral aspirations.<\/p>\n

His historic Allahabad Address of 1930 gave a distinctive intellectual direction to the conception of a separate political future for the Muslims of the subcontinent. The creation of Pakistan was undoubtedly the outcome of a long collective struggle, innumerable sacrifices and a complex convergence of historical circumstances. Yet within the intellectual history of that achievement, Iqbal\u2019s place remains singular and enduring.<\/p>\n

He is not merely a figure belonging to the chronicles of the past. He is a luminous expression of Pakistan\u2019s civilisational self-awareness.<\/p>\n

If questions must now be raised concerning the national resources devoted to safeguarding the intellectual inheritance of such a benefactor, the matter ought not to be dismissed as an inconsequential item of public news.<\/p>\n

For what contradiction could be more painful than this: that we should enjoy the institutions, authority and resources of a state whose emergence was illuminated by Iqbal\u2019s vision, yet fail to accord the enduring scholarly institutions established in his name their rightful place among the priorities of that very state?<\/p>\n

Pakistan is passing through an economic period in which the language of fiscal constraint has become a familiar refrain of governmental pronouncements. The burdens of debt, budgetary deficits, the limitations of the public treasury and the necessity of austerity are invoked with wearying regularity. The people are exhorted to make sacrifices. Educational and research institutions are instructed to accomplish more with fewer resources. Financial difficulties are repeatedly cited as explanations for the limitations imposed upon academic and cultural activity.<\/p>\n

Yet against this background stands another spectacle: official protocol, ceremonial extravagance, political publicity, governmental campaigns extolling administrative achievements, and the expenditure of public funds upon advertisements in newspapers and other media. Here a question arises with irresistible force: why should extravagance attend the rulers while financial restraint is prescribed for the nation\u2019s intellectual benefactors?<\/p>\n

What place, in the actual distribution of national resources, is accorded to scholarship, research and the preservation of our civilisational inheritance?<\/p>\n

Why should the public not be presented with a proper accounting of the millions of rupees expended upon advertisements embellished with the portraits of political leaders and proclamations of governmental accomplishment?<\/p>\n

If the aggregate expenditure of certain official publicity campaigns reaches into the billions of rupees, why should the corresponding figures for the annual budgets, research programmes and publishing activities of national scholarly institutions such as the Iqbal Academy not be placed equally and openly before the public?<\/p>\n

The purpose here is not to elevate unverified figures into established fact. The demand is rather for an honest, transparent and comparative account of public expenditure, so that the nation may ascertain how much its government devotes to advertising its own achievements and how much it invests in the advancement of knowledge, thought and intellectual culture.<\/p>\n

Does history measure the greatness of rulers by the number of advertisements bearing their names and likenesses? Do nations attain eminence through the glitter of official ceremonies, or through the strength of their universities, libraries, research institutions and accumulated intellectual capital? Do governments which habitually pay ceremonial homage to Iqbal not bear a corresponding obligation to liberate the institutions entrusted with his intellectual inheritance from the uncertainties of inadequate funding?<\/p>\n

If resources can be found for political publicity, governments must surely explain the financial priority they assign to preserving Iqbal\u2019s thought and communicating it to the wider world.<\/p>\n

Nor is this an indictment directed exclusively at one government or one political party. It concerns every period of authority in which scholarship, intellectual life and the nation\u2019s cultural inheritance have been denied their proper standing in the practical ordering of public affairs.<\/p>\n

Iqbal\u2019s greatness has never been confined within the geographical boundaries of Pakistan. His Persian poetry opened new avenues of intellectual dialogue in Iran and throughout the wider Persianate scholarly tradition. His message travelled beyond the intellectual circles of the subcontinent, reaching Turkey, Europe and universities in many parts of the world.<\/p>\n

Within his poetry, the moral and spiritual guidance of the Holy Qur\u2019an, the spiritual insight of Maulana Rumi, the cultivation of human personality and the aspiration towards civilisational renewal combine to create a remarkable intellectual universe \u2014 one whose relevance has endured despite the changing temper of successive ages.
\nTo those who cherish his legacy, Iqbal is far more than a national poet. He represents the enduring pursuit of self-knowledge, freedom of thought, human dignity and the relentless striving after elevated purposes.<\/p>\n

His greatness, indeed, cannot be circumscribed by Pakistan\u2019s frontiers. Consider, then, the sentiments of the millions of his admirers scattered across the world when they are confronted with the possibility that, in Iqbal\u2019s own homeland, the national institutions established in his name may lack the resources necessary to fulfil their responsibilities.<\/p>\n

What must pass through the hearts of those countless devotees of Iqbal?<\/strong>
\nShould the institutions charged with the international dissemination of the thought of a philosopher who taught his people to rise above feelings of inferiority themselves remain burdened by financial insecurity?<\/p>\n

Should the resources required for researching and publishing the philosophy of a poet who transformed the soaring falcon into an emblem of human aspiration not constitute a permanent national priority?<\/p>\n

This is no mere question of the financial arrangements surrounding a conference. It is a question of fidelity to the intellectual inheritance of a national benefactor.<\/p>\n

The sorrow becomes more profound when one considers that we have woven Iqbal\u2019s verses into the language of our national identity, our political oratory and our collective emotions, while failing to devote the sustained attention and investment necessary to establish his philosophy at the centre of the intellectual formation of younger generations.<\/p>\n

The obligations of reverence are not discharged by affectionate declarations alone. Their ultimate test lies in the world of action.<\/p>\n

For those devoted to Iqbal, what apprehension could be more distressing than the possibility that the greatness of their beloved thinker may gradually be reduced to the subject of annual speeches, while the practical demands of his philosophy recede ever further from the realities of our collective existence?<\/p>\n

At this moment of national disquiet, one is moved, with the utmost respect, sincerity and concern, to address a question to Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and the Armed Forces of Pakistan.<\/p>\n

You command an army whose soldiers are frequently celebrated through the imagery of Iqbal\u2019s Shaheen, his Mard-e-Momin, and his philosophy of Khudi. Their courage, perseverance, nobility of spirit and resolute determination are described in a language which draws repeatedly upon the moral and imaginative vocabulary of that great poet.<\/p>\n

Iqbal declared:
\nYou are a falcon; to soar is your appointed task;
\nBeyond the heavens before you, other skies await.
\nThe falcon in Iqbal\u2019s poetry was never merely an emblem of physical strength or martial courage. It embodied an entire philosophy of self-respect, loftiness of vision, intellectual independence, purity of character and ceaseless endeavour.<\/p>\n

The Mard-e-Momin whom Iqbal portrayed was distinguished not by strength alone, but by the union of strength with morality, courage with wisdom, and determination with responsibility. It is from this intellectual tradition that so many of the images of resolve, perseverance and national fortitude in our collective life have been drawn.<\/p>\n

Mr Field Marshal,<\/strong>
\nConsider what significance these questions must hold for the young soldiers whom the nation so readily likens to Iqbal\u2019s falcons, when, at the historic milestone of his birth, serious concerns arise regarding the financial and academic needs of a national institution dedicated to his name. Is there not a painful contradiction here for our collective conscience?<\/p>\n

We draw from Iqbal\u2019s poetry the language of national courage, dignity and aspiration; yet we must continually raise questions about the necessity of maintaining strong, self-sustaining scholarly institutions capable of safeguarding his intellectual inheritance.<\/p>\n

The young men entrusted with the defence of the homeland are taught to regard Iqbal\u2019s conception of character and action as an exalted moral example. Surely, therefore, the entire nation must ask itself how conscientiously it is fulfilling its obligation to preserve the teachings of this great thinker and transmit an authentic understanding of them to generations yet unborn.<\/p>\n

Mr Field Marshal,<\/strong>
\nThis address is neither an invitation to unconstitutional intervention nor a request for the exercise of any governmental power beyond the constitutional responsibilities of the Armed Forces.<\/p>\n

It is, rather, an earnest question arising from our shared national history and intellectual inheritance \u2014 a question whose moral implications deserve consideration by every institution of Pakistan, including its Armed Forces, and indeed by every Pakistani citizen.<\/p>\n

The nation addresses this question to you because, during the confrontation of May last year, described as the Ma’raka-e-Haq, you spoke of having witnessed, together with the nation, the descent of Divine assistance, and of Pakistan\u2019s name having consequently acquired renewed respect among the nations of the world.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, the practical and administrative responsibility for answering these questions rests, unquestionably, with elected governments, parliamentary institutions and the relevant ministries. It is upon them that the constitutional duty of allocating national resources and supporting scholarly institutions properly devolves.<\/p>\n

Yet the national tradition which invokes Iqbal\u2019s falcons may reasonably be asked whether the preservation of the intellectual inheritance of that same great thinker is not itself an essential expression of our collective dignity and national self-respect.<\/p>\n

Shall we continue to draw courage from Iqbal\u2019s poetry while withholding proper attention from the permanent scholarly preservation of his thought and philosophy?<\/p>\n

When the nation celebrates the valour of its soldiers by invoking Iqbal\u2019s soaring falcons, does it not also assume a common responsibility to ensure that his intellectual legacy is transmitted to future generations through institutions of genuine distinction and enduring strength?<\/p>\n

The question reaches far beyond any single individual. It stands before the conscience of the nation as a whole.<\/p>\n

Imagine, for a moment, Iqbal himself looking upon the land whose political future he helped to illuminate through the power of his intellectual vision.<\/p>\n

On one side stand the corridors of authority: official ceremonies, the glitter of political publicity, the clamour of governmental claims and the elaborate machinery of public display.<\/p>\n

On the other stand the institutions established to preserve his intellectual inheritance, investigate his philosophy and carry his message to the wider world \u2014 institutions whose scholarly capabilities and financial circumstances he now surveys.<\/p>\n

What would Iqbal feel were he able to behold the Pakistan of today?<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is not advanced as a proposition of historical fact. It is a moral image through which we may examine the character of our collective existence.<\/p>\n

Perhaps Iqbal would not ask how many ceremonies had been organised to celebrate his birthday, how many delegates had attended them, or how many newspapers had printed his portrait.<\/p>\n

Perhaps he would ask a more searching question: what has the nation, to which he sought to impart the treasure of Khudi, accomplished for the cultivation of its knowledge, its character, its collective self-respect and the intellectual education of its young?<\/p>\n

Iqbal wrote:
\nRaise thy selfhood to such heights that, before each destiny is ordained,
\nGod Himself shall ask His servant: \u201cTell Me, what is thy desire?\u201d<\/p>\n

These celebrated lines are not merely an exaltation of human possibility. They constitute an injunction to cultivate character, persevere in endeavour, accept moral responsibility and strive towards the highest purposes of existence.<\/p>\n

Yet how clearly is that injunction reflected in our national conduct?<\/p>\n

We invoke the soaring falcon of Iqbal, but how many opportunities do we create for younger generations to attain comparable heights in knowledge and research?<\/p>\n

We deliver speeches upon the philosophy of Khudi, but what seriousness and continuity distinguish our efforts to strengthen national scholarly institutions? We scatter the flowers of eloquence in tribute to his greatness, but how much intellectual investment do we undertake to bring his thought into meaningful conversation with the moral, scientific, economic and civilisational questions of the modern world?<\/p>\n

It is in our answers to these questions that the true portrait of our national character will be revealed. Each year, on Iqbal Day, dignitaries visit his tomb. Floral wreaths are laid. Government representatives offer ceremonial tributes, while official statements proclaim his ideas to be a source of national guidance.<\/p>\n

These observances possess their own legitimate dignity. Yet can ceremonial homage alone discharge a nation\u2019s obligation towards one of its greatest benefactors?<\/p>\n

Does genuine respect for Iqbal not demand that the institutions associated with his name should become centres of internationally distinguished research, authoritative publication, faithful translation and the intellectual formation of future generations?<\/p>\n

Iqbal\u2019s message belongs to a living tradition of thought.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thus, beyond the flowers placed upon his resting place, the spirit of his philosophy seems to address those who pay him tribute with a question of its own:
\nWhen will you fulfil your obligation to my thought?<\/p>\n

His intellectual inheritance encompasses the ethical guidance of the Holy Qur\u2019an, the spiritual wisdom of Maulana Rumi, the relationship between reason and love, the cultivation of human personality and the moral reform of collective life. These are questions of enduring significance, demanding sustained scholarly engagement.<\/p>\n

To confine his philosophy to passages in textbooks or the ritual repetition of commemorative speeches is to render scant justice to his greatness.<\/p>\n

His truest commemoration would be the cultivation of a generation distinguished by the breadth of its learning, the strength of its character, the independence of its thought and the dignity of its conduct.<\/p>\n

Flowers upon his tomb may be an expression of remembrance. The preservation and advancement of his intellectual inheritance must be the substance of our gratitude.<\/p>\n

The historic milestone of 150 years since Iqbal\u2019s birth, and the state\u2019s responsibility towards it, therefore, deserve the most serious consideration.<\/p>\n

The beginning of the 150th year since his birth presents Pakistan with an extraordinary intellectual and civilisational opportunity. It ought not to be exhausted in a handful of conferences, commemorative gatherings and conventional addresses.<\/p>\n

The Government of Pakistan should use this occasion to establish a comprehensive national scholarly programme encompassing modern authoritative editions of Iqbal\u2019s Urdu, Persian and English writings; the digital preservation of rare manuscripts and historical documents; translations of demonstrable scholarly quality into the world\u2019s major languages; the patronage of younger researchers; the development of international academic partnerships; and permanent research projects devoted to the study of his thought.<\/p>\n

The Iqbal Academy Pakistan must be enabled to attain a standard of research facilities, international academic engagement, publishing resources and institutional stability commensurate with the magnitude of its national and civilisational responsibilities.<\/p>\n

The participation of the private sector may be welcomed as a valuable contribution. It must not, however, become a substitute for the responsibilities of the state.<\/p>\n

The greatness of a national thinker is not truly acknowledged by counting the ceremonies held in his honour. It is acknowledged by examining the extent to which his thought remains alive within the knowledge, morality, culture and collective character of the society that claims him.<\/p>\n

If this historic opportunity is allowed to pass in little more than a succession of public spectacles, the nation will have squandered a moment of profound scholarly responsibility.<\/p>\n

We therefore place before the Government of Pakistan, the relevant ministries and those entrusted with the administration of the Iqbal Academy a series of questions, advanced in a spirit of seriousness, intellectual dignity and moral courage.<\/p>\n

What guarantees exist for the permanent financial and academic stability of this national institution associated with Iqbal\u2019s name?<\/p>\n

What resources are being allocated to its research projects, publications, academic activities and international partnerships?<\/p>\n

What is the total budget of the present International Iqbal Conference, what proportion is being provided through governmental financial assistance, and what precisely is the nature of the private-sector partnership?<\/p>\n

What comprehensive and practicable national programme has been prepared to mark the historic 150-year milestone of Iqbal\u2019s birth?<\/p>\n

Above all, when will the public be presented with a transparent comparative account of expenditure upon governmental publicity and the resources allocated to the nation\u2019s scholarly and cultural institutions?<\/p>\n

We call for the publication of clear official particulars concerning the financial and research resources of the Iqbal Academy; for the provision of permanent and dependable funding to secure its essential scholarly mission; and for the implementation, before the 150th anniversary of Iqbal\u2019s birth, of a comprehensive national and international programme of intellectual engagement.<\/p>\n

This demand is neither an endorsement nor a condemnation of any political party. It is a demand for the preservation of the nation\u2019s civilisational inheritance and for the restoration of learning and research to their rightful place in public life.<\/p>\n

What is required is not another abundance of governmental explanations, but the unmistakable evidence of practical action.<\/p>\n

We seek more than ceremonial reverence for Iqbal. We seek tangible proof that the nation accepts responsibility for the preservation of his philosophy.<\/p>\n

No nation can indefinitely bear the moral burden of ingratitude towards those who have enriched its intellectual and spiritual existence.<\/p>\n

History demonstrates that the decline of nations does not proceed from economic weakness, political disorder or external dangers alone. The process becomes more profound when a people begin to sever their living connection with the foundations of their civilisation, the thinkers who shaped their consciousness and the values which once sustained their collective identity.<\/p>\n

Where younger generations know their greatest philosophers merely as names attached to examination questions and public holidays, intellectual impoverishment is never far away. Where institutions of learning and research are condemned to perpetual financial uncertainty, the intellectual independence of the future may itself be placed in jeopardy.<\/p>\n

And where the distribution of national resources denies proper precedence to knowledge, culture and intellectual formation, the claims of national advancement demand rigorous scrutiny.<\/p>\n

Iqbal declared:
\nLearn anew the lessons of truth, of justice and of courage;
\nFor thou shalt be called upon to lead the nations of the world.<\/p>\n

These lines remain a moral charter for our rulers, our national institutions and our collective conscience.
\nTruth requires transparency in the expenditure of public resources.<\/p>\n

Justice requires that knowledge and research receive their rightful place in the nation\u2019s financial priorities.<\/p>\n

Courage requires that those who govern should rise above the temptations of political display and establish enduring intellectual and civilisational foundations for generations yet to come.<\/p>\n

Such conduct, rather than ceremonial eloquence, would constitute genuine fidelity to Iqbal\u2019s message.<\/p>\n

Iqbal\u2019s greatness has no need of our protection. It is we who stand in need of his philosophy. As we approach the historic milestone of 150 years since the birth of Allama Muhammad Iqbal, we are confronted by questions from which neither political convenience nor national sentiment can honourably excuse us. Have we discharged our obligation towards the intellectual inheritance of this extraordinary thinker? Has the Pakistani state enabled the national institutions established in his name to represent his philosophy before the world with the dignity and distinction it deserves?<\/p>\n

Are our rulers prepared to recognise that the greatness of nations is not fashioned by political advertising, ceremonial splendour or official declarations, but by the cultivation of learning, character, research and civilisational consciousness?<\/p>\n

To those entrusted with the authority of the state:
\nIqbal did not invite this nation to dream of princely comforts, political ostentation or the intoxicating glitter of power.<\/p>\n

His was a summons to Khudi, self-respect, intellectual independence, moral excellence and ceaseless endeavour.<\/p>\n

He called upon his people to stand upon their own feet, to build their future through the resources of their conscience, their knowledge and their character.<\/p>\n

If questions are now being raised concerning the resources and performance of the institutions bearing his name, the answer cannot consist of yet more speeches.<\/p>\n

The answer must be found in intellectual investment, enduring institutional stability, freedom of research, transparent financial administration and the effective international advancement of Iqbal studies.<\/p>\n

Let this be remembered: Iqbal\u2019s greatness is not dependent upon the favour of any government. The lamps kindled by his poetry will continue to burn without the illumination of official ceremonies. The passage of time will not extinguish the radiance of his thought. Yet the gratitude of a nation is measured not by the eloquence of its declarations, but by the integrity of its deeds.<\/p>\n

Iqbal wrote:
\nThrough action, life becomes either paradise or hell;
\nMan, fashioned of dust, is by nature neither angelic light nor infernal fire.<\/p>\n

The decision now rests with our national institutions and those who govern them. Will they reduce this historic occasion to another season of ceremonial celebration? Or will they inscribe a new and enduring chapter in the preservation, advancement and international recognition of Iqbal\u2019s intellectual legacy?<\/p>\n

We do not ask for spectacles staged in Iqbal\u2019s honour. We ask for scholarly institutions worthy of his thought.<\/p>\n

We do not ask merely for ritual expressions of admiration. We ask for practical evidence of national gratitude.
\nWe ask that the intellectual inheritance of the great thinker whose dream and message are so intimately bound to Pakistan\u2019s civilisational identity should occupy not the margins of national policy, but its very centre.<\/p>\n

For the debt we owe to Iqbal cannot be discharged through flowers, speeches, advertisements or commemorative ceremonies alone.<\/p>\n

It can begin to be honoured only through the cultivation of knowledge and character, the elevation of national self-respect and the building of a Pakistan whose institutions and collective life genuinely draw their inspiration from the principles he proclaimed.<\/p>\n

This is the heartfelt appeal of those who cherish Iqbal. This is the protest of our national conscience. And this is the question we place before those in authority, at the solemn tribunal of history.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Celebration of Iqbal \u2014 or a Lament for the National Conscience? The Neglect of Iqbal in the Land of Iqbal: An Elegy for the Nation\u2019s Conscience and a Question for Those Who Govern The 150-Year Milestone of Allama Muhammad Iqbal\u2019s Birth: A Distressing Indictment of Governmental Priorities, National Ingratitude and the Neglect of a …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3167,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37,39,33,24,26,27,25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-featured-columns","category-important-columns","category-international-columns","category-pakistan-columns","category-today-columns","category-top-articles"],"yoast_head":"\nIqbal's Jubilee or | a Nation's Shame?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This is the protest of our national conscience. 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