A new sculpture of Allama Muhammad Iqbal, erected at Lahore’s Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park, is all social media can talk about ever since pictures of it emerged on Twitter on Monday. While the structure appeared to be an honest attempt to pay a tribute to the country’s national Poet and renowned scholar, netizens are not happy with the way it turned out.
Several social media users demanded authorities to immediately remove the sculpture as they felt it was a “display of insult” rather than a tribute to the poet.
Several journalists, social activists and renowned personalities including Hamid Mir, Jamal Shah, and Jibran Nasir also criticised the government for its incompetence.
Several users questioned why it was even allowed to be placed at the park.
However, it later emerged that the statue was built by the gardeners of the park as a tribute to the great leader. Chairman Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) Yasir Gillani shared this news on social media, saying that the gardeners prepared it on their own and the “authority did not pay a single penny” for it.
Later, Focal Person on Digital Media to CM Punjab Azhar Mashwani also clarified that the sculpture was made by the gardeners of the park to express their love for Iqbal.
