“Iqbal was deeply impressed by the great muslim nation of Afghanistan and their rich culture, splendid history and their constant fight against colonial powers and foreign aggression, said scholar and ex-Deputy Speaker, KP Assembly Ikramullah Shahid in a seminar arranged by Research library Peshawar in celeberation of Iqbal Day on the topic of ‘Iqbal and Afghanistan in Modern Perspective’. He said that “Iqbal regarded Afghanistan as the heart of Asia and clearly stated in his Persian poetry that disturbance in Afghanistan will keep Asia in perpetual turmoil, and peace in the rugged mountainous country will lead to peace, safety and tranquility in the Asian continent”. He was the main speaker in the seminar and traced the thoughts of Iqbal right from Iqbal’s early attachment with Afghan nation, their character and culture till his visit to Afghanistan in 1933. The speaker said that, “Iqbal was aware of the geo-strategic position of Afghanistan and predicted its future in light of its trade routes”. He said that, “if the Afghan nation comes out of their tribal narrowness and rises as a political unity after modernization and development, they will definitely lead the rest of the nations in the world, especially the Asian neighbours despite the western conspiracies for re-drawing the borders in the region on ethnic ad national lines”. He said that “Islam is the beauty of Afghan national character and soon Islam has to be rightly discovered and served by these Afghanis. Islam provided them the inspiration and force for their fight against the Soviets in the past and now against Americans and their allies” The speaker hoped that “the US and NATO will soon run away from Afghanistan, like Alexander the Great and Baber, the founder of Mughal dynasty in India, came to terms will the Afghanis and the Soviet Union got crumbled in wake of their resistance”. Iqbal has wisely hinted in his poetry about the strength of stability in Afghan through ages”, he commented. Founder of the Library, Fasihuddin (PSP) said that “we have to discover the impacts of Iqbal’s thoughts on Afghan culture and society, and also to research the deep impressions of Afghan thoughts on Iqbal’s vision and philosophy of Ego (self).” He said that “Iqbal was profoundly moved by the works, movement and messages of great Afghan and Pushtoon generals, leaders and scholars like Mehmood Ghaznavi, Hakeem Sanai, Sher Shah Suri, Ahmad Shah Abdali, Khushal Khan Khattak and Syed Jamaluddin Aghani, etc.” Syed Akhtar Ali Shah, Home Secretary of Govt; of KPk, said that, “as the poetry and vision of Iqbal has influenced our literature, culture and politics, so the Afghanistan’s geography and political situation. Though we can’t run away from this historical bag, yet the world has changed a lot and much water has been flown under the regional and Asian bridge”. “We have to understand Iqbal’s vision and message in the context of his thought-evolution from nationalism to internationalism. We have to change ourselves in the light of modern realities and have to re-think of our role in the international community”, he added. “We have to respect the sovereignty of others and only mutual respect and cordial relations with each others will ensure stability, both in Pakistan and Afghanistan and so in Asia”, he said. The seminar was presided by ex-Director Intelligence Bureau and expert of FATA and Afghan affairs, Jan Muhammad, who analyzed the present Afghanistan situation in light of historical developments. He said that, “Afghanis are the toughest and committed people on earth who never bowed down to foreign oppression. Afghanistan will come out of its present crises soon to retain its title of ‘Graveyards of Empires’, now of colonial and neo-colonial powers”, he observed. “The present Afghan youth must study the message and philosophy of Iqbal in order to re-discover and realize their own importance and the geo-strategic and economic position of Afghanistan in the new Great Game in the region. They have enormous responsibilities in this context,” he said. The seminar was followed by Q and A session and attended by researchers, students and media representatives and conducted by Prof. Ishaq Wardag