SIALKOT   -    The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has demanded official local holiday on Nov 09,2019, the birth day of Allama Iqbal, in Sialkot district, saying that the government should at least declare a local holiday if it could not announce a national holiday on the day.

JI JI Sialkot District Ameer Dr Shakeel Thakur stated this while addressing a largely attended press conference here on Wednesday.

JI District General Secretary Advocate Afzal Sulehri and District Spokesperson Arif Mehmood Sheikh were also present on the occasion.

Dr Shakeel Thakur stressed that the government should restore the official national holiday on Nov 9, the birthday of Allama Iqbal. He said that if the government could not do it then it should, at least, declare official local holiday on Nov 9 in Sialkot district to celebrate the of Allama Iqbal’s birthday.

Dr. Shakeel Thakur said that the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) would play its due role in promotion of Iqbaliyat and message of Allama Iqbal in his philosophy and poetry. He said that the soil of Sialkot became invincible after giving birth to sons like Allama Iqbal. He added that the JI would hold seminars, symposiums, speeches and Kalam-e-Iqbal competitions on regular basis in Sialkot, the City of Allama Iqbal.

He said that all the private and government schools, colleges and universities in Sialkot should arranges special functions on Iqbal Day besides holding the speech and Kalam-e-Iqbal competitions to promote Iqbaliyat among the young generations.

“There should be at least a local holiday on Nov 09 in Sialkot district on the eve of Iqbal Day”, he added.

Dr Shakeel Thakur said that the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) revealed that JI will also hold a national level conference on “Allama Iqbal Aur Syed Maududi Ka Pakistan” at the lawns of historical Sialkot Fort on Nov 08,2019 (Friday).