SIALKOT: Two Japanese students of `Iqbaliyat` gave a fine performance of singing the poetry of Allama Iqbal during a special ceremony held at the auditorium of the University of Gujrat`s Sialkot campus on Thursday.

Ms Erika Kagava sang `Lab pey aati hey dua ban key tamanna meri` and Tenshin Tamura recited `Terey ishaq ki inteha chahta houn, meri saadgi dekh kiyachahta houn` in their melodious voices which impressed the audience comprising senior teachers, students, journalists and educationists. The auditorium echoed with the slogan of `Pak-Japan Friendship Zindabad` by the participants.

The Japanese students paid homage to Allama Iqbal and said they were delighted to be in Sialkot, the poet`s birthplace.

They said people in Japan had great respect for the poet-philosopher and they sought inspiration from his thought and works.Welcoming the participants, Prof Dr Anwaar Ahmed, UoG Sialkot campus director general, announced formal launch of `Imam Bibi Endowment Fund` for encouraging the deserving students to continue their studies.

The local campus also designed an elective course of Iqbal Studies for BS students here.

He said philanthropists and some top exporters had donated Rs1.7 million to the endowment fund, named after Imam Bibi, the mother of Allama Iqbal.