After an Allama Iqbal sculpture caused a hue and cry on social media, the city’s Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) announced Tuesday that it will be taken down and reinstalled after improvements are made to it.
The spokesperson of the park located in Gulshan-e-Iqbal area of Lahore, confirmed that the sculpture is being removed and will be put up again after necessary improvements.
A picture was shared on Twitter by a person, showing a group of workers uprooting the boundary fence surrounding the sculpture. “After going viral on social media, Iqbal’s structure is being uprooted,” he wrote.
Yasir Gillani, Chairman PHA, had earlier clarified that the statue had been built by the park’s gardeners out of their sheer love for Allama Iqbal. “Dear, this is prepared by maalis on 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.
Yasir said 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 directives had been issued to ensure that no sculpture is built inside the park without the park management’s permission.
Earlier, the large sculpture of national poet Allama Mohammad Iqbal drew humour and derision from netizens, and calls for the authorities to remove it.
A social media user posted a picture of the oversized bust with a caption criticising its artistic accuracy. “There’s nothing wrong in this but it doesn’t look like Allama Iqbal,” she pointed out.
The post went viral in a span of a few hours, with Twitterati barraging the provincial authorities with the demand to replace it as soon as possible. However, it turns out that the sculpture was made in good faith by well-meaning people.
