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    Iqbal Hostel: A Historical Monument

    Written by: Waseem Abbas
    Posted on: January 07, 2022 | | 中文

    A view of Iqbal Hostel from the right side of its building

    Rarely a few educational institutions in Pakistan are of the caliber and historical significance of Lahore's Government College University (GCU). Its uniqueness has much to do with its historic building, rich history, notable alumni and the nostalgia that it creates among the Alumni (Ravians). Amphitheatre, Love Garden, Bukhari Auditorium, Hockey Ground, Bangla Campus, old tower, old building and the historic library are a few of the historical places at GCU, Lahore. Iqbal Hostel, also known as the Quadrangle, is one of the oldest buildings of historical significance at the GCU, Lahore which has a rich history.

    History of the Hostel:

    Built in 1891 as a Boarding House for the boys coming from far-off places, the Iqbal Hostel soon became an integral part of the Government College. As it was adjacent to the academic building and the library, its significance multiplied as students could attend classes and be back in the hostel in five minutes. The western, eastern and the main gate side were constructed in the early years, while the portion attached to the Urdu Bazar was constructed later, thus making it a quadrangle.

    An aerial view of the Government College University Lahore and the Iqbal Hostel. The red arrow pointing is Iqbal Hostel and the building between the yellow and the blue arrow is the academic block.

    Iqbal Hostel is named after Allama Muhammad Iqbal, the national poet of Pakistan, who lived in this boarding house for around five years, between 1895-1900, during his college and university days. Other notable personalities who lived in the Iqbal Hostel include Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Patras Bukhari, etc. Due to Iqbal's long stay in this hostel, it has become a part of our heritage.

    Identification of Iqbal's room:

    It was a generally known that Iqbal resided at the Boarding House (now Iqbal Hostel) during his college and university days, but the exact room where he stayed was contested. It was commonly believed that Iqbal stayed in the room attached to the main gate, which now is the Superintendent's office. A committee comprising of distinguished professors, including Dr. Khursheed Rizvi, Dr. Zaheer Ahmed Siddique, and the then Superintendent of the Iqbal Hostel Dr. Khalid Mehmood Sanjrani, searched and reviewed all available resources on Iqbal and the Hostel to ascertain the exact room where the poet of the East stayed.

    An inscription on the left side of the door of Iqbal's room mentions that Iqbal stayed in this room

    The document that helped the committee in tracing Iqbal's room was written by Iqbal's friend and contemporary Ghulam Bhik Nairang, who in one of his articles "Allama Iqbal k Baaz Haalaat (Some circumstances of Iqbal) elaboratively sketched Iqbal's personality and his stay at the Hostel. In this article, Nairang has not only specified Iqbal's room but has also detailed Iqbal's everyday activities in the hostel, which includes the use of hookah (tobacco pipe which draws smoke through water) while sitting on a desi charpoy, talking and joking with friends on the lawn of the hostel. Based on Nairang's document and close observations, the committee concluded that the first room on the western side of the hostel was Iqbal's room. A close examination was needed because rooms had no numbers attached during Iqbal's stay at the hostel.

    Allama Iqbal's room was formally inaugurated on the 8th of January 2016 by the then Vice-Chancellor of GCU, Dr. Hasan Amir Shah and Allama Iqbal's grandson Muneeb Iqbal. Instead of turning Iqbal's room into a museum, the administration has decided to allot it to the student who excels in the first year as an undergraduate, in order to encourage and inculcate a spirit of hard-work. There is a notice on the left side of the room stating that Iqbal stayed in this room and the date of its formal inauguration. While inside the room, many things belonging to Iqbal are on the wall for public display, including two hangers and a table that Iqbal used, a picture of Iqbal from his stay at the hostel (1899), and his poems "Javed ke naam" (In the name of Javed), and (Aik Nawjawan ke Naam (In the name of a youth), a framed Ghulam Baig Nairang's article that helped in locating Iqbal's room, and a copy of the committee’s decision about the room.

    Allama Iqbal's picture hanging on the wall in the Iqbal Hostel

    Current Administration:

    The Hostel works under the tutelage of the GCU administration, with a warden and a superintendent formally supervising it. The hostel has its own sports room, a dining hall, a library and a volleyball court inside its premises. Rules and regulations are strictly followed, with no relaxation for anyone. One of the important features that have continued for decades is the mandatory study period in the hostel, which usually lasts from 9 to 11:30 pm. No one is allowed to use the phone, talk, or even eat at that time. The hostel prefects, along with the admin staff can pay surprise visits to the rooms to see if the students are reading or not. After 12:30 am, no one is allowed to come outside their rooms. The strict policing at first seems quirky, but it helps in the overall discipline.

    The hostel is administered with the help of students, with different committees for different activities, like sports committee, mess committee, library committee, literary committee, magazine committee etc. All these committees are comprised and led by the inhabitants of the hostel. The hostel has been publishing its annual magazine called "The Iqbal", which includes articles, poems, travelogues, fictional stories, directory and pictures of important events at the hostel. Published in both Urdu and English, most of the pieces in 'the Iqbal' are written by the undergraduate students of GCU, with some articles added from alumni, professors, and notable writers.

    A current view of Allama Iqbal's room. (Picture credits to Awais Alam)

    Most of the students can be seen playing volleyball from 6 to 8:30 pm, while others can be seen in the sports room playing chess, carom board and badminton. The hostel has maintained a quality mess, with the hostel's mess committee comprising of students deciding the menu of the mess every month.

    The Appearance of the Hostel:

    When one enters the hostel through its only gate, the gigantic walls and the long gate makes one feel as he/she is entering a prison. The old building made of red bricks, its high walls, ghostly appearance of the rooms, and the long fans hanging from the ceiling might be intimidating, but the green interior with pavements of the Quadrangle come as a pleasant surprise as well. However, the sound of chirping birds is a soothing and an uplifting experience.


    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

    YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.

    Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.

    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
    The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    January 2021









    Video message by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed on Black Day of Indian Occupation of Kashmir



    Video message by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed on Black Day of Indian Occupation of Kashmir, 27 October 1947, when Indian military troops forcibly occupied Kashmir illegally, claiming a fraudulent ‘Instrument of Accession’ which never existed as documented by eminent British historian Alastair Lamb! Kashmir & Palestine are examples of illegal occupation & continued Resistance to Repression! There are so many commonalities in Kashmir & Palestine: both under brutal military occupation of foreign powers, both are facing an indigenous, popular, spontaneous & widespread Resistance & Uprising, both are in violation of UN Resolutions which haven’t been implemented, both are witnessing an attempted change in the demographic balance, both are facing the use of rape as a weapon of war, both are testimony to double-standards & hypocrisy of Western powers on human rights & fundamental rights, and both conflicts have an element of racism and Islamophobia, while enduring peace, security and stability will remain elusive in both regions, South Asia & Middle East, until these issues are resolved in accordance with popular aspirations.