Lahore, 2nd February: After the severe backlash that the newly-built statue of Pakistan’s national poet Allama Iqbal received on social media, the Punjab government has decided to remove it.
Baaghi TV: After Iqbal’s sculpture caused a hue and cry on social media, Lahore’s Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) announced on Tuesday that it will be taken down and reinstalled after improvements are made to it.
Nadia Tufail, the spokesperson of Lahore’s Gulshan-e-Iqbal park, spoke to The News to confirm that the sculpture is being removed and will be put up again after necessary improvements.
Recently a picture was shared on Twitter by a person, showing a group of workers uprooting the boundary fence surrounding the sculpture.
https://twitter.com/safdarAliRind/status/1356553112044077057?s=20
He wrote, “After going viral on social media, Iqbal’s structure is being uprooted.”
Earlier, Yasir Gillani, Chairman PHA, clarified that the statue was built by the park’s gardeners out of their sheer love for Allama Iqbal.
Dear, this is prepared by maalis at their own , they made it in shere love for Iqbal and to pay homage from their heart. Authority didn't approved or even paid a single penny for it.
WE WILL ADDRESS IT but can anyone see from maalis eye's, their love and their عقیدت, pic.twitter.com/qAdf0Nw4E9— Yasir Gillani PTI (@yasir_gillani) February 2, 2021
“Dear, this is prepared by maalis at their own, they made it in sheer love for Iqbal and to pay homage from their heart. Authority didn’t approve or even paid a single penny for it.
He added, “WE WILL ADDRESS IT but can anyone see from maalis eye’s, their love and their respect.”
Gillani informed that since the structure was built by the gardeners out of their own pocket money, no action will be taken against them.
However, he said that clear instructions have been issued to ensure that no sculpture is built inside the park without the permission of the park management.
It is to be noted that a newly-built Allam Iqbal’s statue placed at Lahore’s Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park has drawn criticism after a social media user posted a picture of the oversized bust condemning its artistic accuracy. She wrote, “There’s nothing wrong in this but it doesn’t look like Allama Iqbal.”
Within a few hours, the post went viral with Twitterati demanding the provincial authorities to replace it as soon as possible.
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