APROPOS Arif Iftikhar’s article, ‘The message of Iqbal’ in Young World ( Nov 9) in which he has mistakenly ascribed the following couplet to Iqbal:

Tund ye baad-i-mukhalif se na ghabra ae uqaab,

Yeh tou chalti hai tujhe ooncha udaane ke liye.

The above couplet was actually written by my illustrious father, the late Syed Sadiq Hussain, an advocate of Shakargarh tehsil in Sialkot district, and a staunch Muslim Leaguer who headed the local chapter of the party.

The couplet has actually been taken from a much longer poem published in the Urdu daily ‘Aftab’ in 1918 when Muslims of the subcontinent had just begun to struggle for their rights. Now it forms a part of his book, ‘Barg-i-Sabz’, published by Feroz Sons Ltd.

Further, the couplet has been translated by Mr Iftikhar as follows:

“Don’t be frightened by these furious and violent winds, oh eagle! These blow only to make you fly higher.”

A nearer translation of the couplet would be:

“Don’t get daunted by the fury of opposing winds, oh eagle! These blow only to make you soar higher (into the skies).”

In case any interested readers have some queries, they are most welcome to contact me at mushtaqsyed45@gmail.com

MUSHTAQ HUSSAIN SYED
Islamabad

Opinion

Editorial

Cohesive response
Updated 14 Mar, 2025

Cohesive response

Solely militarised response has failed to deliver, counterterrorism efforts must be complemented by political outreach in Balochistan.
Agriculture tax
14 Mar, 2025

Agriculture tax

THE changes in the provincial agriculture income tax laws aimed at aligning their rates with the federal corporate...
Closing the gap
14 Mar, 2025

Closing the gap

PAKISTAN continues to struggle with gender inequality in its labour market. A new report by the ILO shows just how...
Shocking ambush
Updated 13 Mar, 2025

Shocking ambush

The sophistication of attack indicates that separatists likely had support from experienced external players.
Suffocating crisis
13 Mar, 2025

Suffocating crisis

THREE of the five countries with the most polluted air on Earth are in South Asia. They include Pakistan, which has...
Captive grid
13 Mar, 2025

Captive grid

IT is a common practice: the government makes commitments with global lenders for their money and then tries to...