SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Urdu Council on Thursday paid rich tributes to its former president, noted physician, author and columnist Dr Javed Iqbal, at a condolence meeting attended by journalists, civil society members, academicians, lawyers, writers and members of the bereaved family at Amar Singh Club in Srinagar.
The meeting was presided over by retired IAS officer Khurshid Ahmad Ganai, while former Vice Chancellor of the University of Kashmir, Prof Mushtaq Ahmad Siddiqi, was the guest of honour.
Welcoming the participants, Jammu and Kashmir Urdu Council president Advocate Abdul Rashid Hanjura recalled Dr Iqbal’s long association with the council and described his contribution to the promotion and preservation of Urdu language and literature as invaluable.
He said Dr Iqbal had left behind a vast body of scholarly work that would continue to benefit future generations and stressed the need to connect young people with the Urdu language. Hanjura said the media, scholars, religious leaders, madrasas and private educational institutions all had an important role in preserving and promoting Urdu.
Several speakers remembered Dr Iqbal as an eminent physician, scholar, columnist and social reformer whose death had created a significant void in Kashmir’s intellectual and public life. They described him as a rare multi-dimensional personality known for his intellectual depth, compassion and commitment to society.
The speakers also recalled Dr Iqbal’s belief that “debate provides the forum for civilised interaction” and his warning that shrinking public spaces create “fault lines in public management.” They said his intellectual legacy would continue to inspire society through a memorial lecture series planned in his honour.
Among those who addressed the gathering were Maulana Showkat Ahmad Keng, Dr Shama-ul-Rehman Farooqi, Maulana Akhzar, Aijaz Ahmad Kakroo, Dr A H Ahad, journalist Yusuf Jameel, Dr Mushtaq Ahmad Ganai, G R Hassrat Gadda, Javed Kirmani, Shakeel Qalander, Special Secretary IT Dr Abdul Hafeez, G N War, Shahbaz Hakbari, Nazim Nazir, Mushtaq Chiraag, Jammu and Kashmir Urdu Council general secretary Javed Mattoo and Shabir Ahmad of Meezan Publications.
The speakers said the best tribute to Dr Iqbal would be to uphold the ideals of scholarship, dialogue and social commitment that he championed throughout his life.
Special prayers were offered for the departed soul and for strength and patience for the bereaved family.
The event also witnessed the release of Sarori Justjoo, the fourth collection of poetry by M A Firaq Sopori. The programme began with the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran and Naat-e-Sharif by school students.
Born in Srinagar in 1946, Dr Javed Iqbal graduated with an MBBS degree from Government Medical College Srinagar in 1969. He practised medicine in Kashmir, Iran and Libya before returning home, where he devoted himself to literature, scholarship and public discourse. He became widely known as a columnist for leading newspapers, including Greater Kashmir, and remained an influential voice in Kashmir’s intellectual landscape.
