Iqbal had lived in Heidelberg while pursuing a doctorate from the Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich. He wrote his famed “Javed Nama” on the banks of River Neckar – a Rhine tributary.
According to a statement, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Germany Syed Hasan Javed said that all out efforts will be made to set up the museum at the house where Iqbal had stayed for his PhD studies. Pakistan’s Consul General in Frankfurt was directed to form a committee comprising of prominent Pakistanis living in Frankfurt and its adjoining cities, including Heidelberg, to take up the matter with the City Government of the Heidelberg for the acquisition of the property.
Addressing participants of a literary conference on Iqbal, organised by the Human Welfare Association, Frankfurt at Iqbal Memorial Park on the Bank of River Neckar in Heidelberg, Javed said that there is a need to understand the message of the philosopher in its true spirit for forging unity among various factions of the Muslim societies and reactivate the institute of Ijtehad to deal with the challenges of modern day societies.
The Banul-Aqwami Urdu Conference Canada vice president Dr Sayed Taqi Abedi said that there existed a deep relationship between Iqbal’s poetry and Heidelberg.