ISLAMABAD: Iqbal Day will be observed across Pakistan on Monday (November 9) to mark the birth anniversary of one of the greatest poets of East.

Special programs will be arranged in the towns and cities across the four provinces of Pakistan while special editions will be carried by the newspapers to pay homage to the poet, scholar, philosopher, writer, politician, legal expert, Muslim sufi and a prominent figure in Pakistan movement.

Television channels and radio stations have also lined up a number of shows to highlight the events of Allama Iqbal’s life and left a permanent mark in the history of Pakistan.

A ceremony will be held at the Aiwan-e-Sadr on Monday to mark the birth anniversary of Allama Muhammad Iqbal.

President Mamnoon Hussain will address the ceremony a statement from the Presidency said here.

Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman Higher Education Commission, renowned expert in Iqbaliyat Prof Dr Tehseen Firaqi, Director Iqbal Academy Ahmed Javed, Chairperson Zafar Ali Khan, Dr Zahid Munir Amir and Executive Director National Vocational and Technical Training Commission Zulfiqar Cheema will also address the gathering.

Prominent poets will pay tributes to the poet of the East while eminent singers will showcase their works as well.

Khushab (خُوشاب‎),  is a city of Khushab District in the Punjab province of Pakistan.Meaning of Khushab is sweet water. The city serves as the headquarters of Khushab Tehsil an administrative subdivision of the district. Khushab is located 229 km (142 mi) from Lahore and to the capital Islamabad it is 246 km (153 mi). The city of Khushab is home to the Heavy Water and Natural Uranium Research Reactor, a critical part of the Pakistan's Special Weapons Program, which has come under much heated scrutiny.

History of Khushab.

During colonial rule Khushab town was the headquarters of the tehsil of the same name in the Shahpur District of British Punjab. The town situated on the right bank of theJhelum River was on the route of the Sindh-Sagar branch of the North-Western Railway. During that time it had an extensive trade, exporting cotton, wool, and Ghee to Multan andSukkur; cotton cloth to Afghanistan and the Derajat; and wheat grown in the Salt Range, which was considered particularly suitable for export, principally to Karachi. The municipality was created in 1867. The income during the ten years ending 1902-3 averaged Rs. 12,100, and the expenditure Rs. 11,000. In 1903-4 the income was Rs. 11,500, chiefly from octroi; and the expenditure was Rs. 11,000. The town had an Anglo-vernacular middle school, maintained by the municipality, and a Government dispensary. The population according to the 1901 census was 11,403. On March 21, 2000, theChristian Science Monitor published an article written by Alexander Colhoun, a high-resolution aerial satellite photo revealed a nuclear reactor and a missile base in the city of Khushab. These pictures had mixed views, one of the expression of power that could shackle or reshape diplomatic landscapes of a region and another of the ethical question about the usage of satellite imagery in terms of privacy and national sovereignty of a nuclear-capable nation. The report was published at a time when American President Bill Clinton was due to visit India and sparked concerns worldwide. It was later clearly stated in the Dawn newspaper on June 14, 2000 that this particular nuclear reactor at Khushab and its reprocessing plant were generating between 8 to 10 kilograms of weapons-grade plutonium per year, dedicated for military use.