Pak sarzamin shad bad
Kishware haseen shad bad
Tunishane azmealishan arze Pakistan
Markazeyaqin shadbad .
Pak sarzamin ka nizam quwate akhuwati awam
Qaum, mulk, Sultanat
Painda ta binda bad shad, bad man zele murad.
Parchame sitarao hilat
Rahbare tarraqio ka mal
Tarjumane mazishane hal jane istaqbal
Sayyai, khudae zul jalal
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Blessed be the sacred land,
Happy be the bounteous realm,
Symbol of high resolve, Land of Pakistan.
Blessed be thou citadel of faith.
The Order of this Sacred Land
Is the might of the brotherhood of the people.
May the nation, the country, and the State
Shine in glory everlasting.
Blessed be the goal of our ambition.
This flag of the Crescent and the Star
Leads the way to progress and perfection,
Interpreter of our past, glory of our present,
Inspiration of our future,
Symbol of Almighty's protection |
The national anthem
occupies a significant place and plays a dominant role in uplifting
the morale of the masses. It not only reflects the image and
ideology of the country, but also reveals the real sense of honour
and dignity of the people. Much attention is paid by nations towards
writing of the text and formation of rhythmical notes for the
national anthem.
The Islamic Republic of
Pakistan came into existence on 14th August, 1947. On that day, only
the national flag, approved by the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan
three days earlier, was hoisted. To fill the gap, a song, ‘Pakistan
Zindabad, Azadi Paendabad’, was chosen to be sung in lieu of the
national anthem during the hoisting ceremony. The song was
represented with appropriate musical tune on an adhoc basis. The
government later formed a National Anthem Committee (NAC), under the
supervision of Shaikh Muhammad Ikram, the then Information Secretary
and a writer of repute. The committee included among others Sardar
Abdur Rab Nishtar, Pirzada Abdus Sattar, Z.A. Bokhari, A.D. Azhar,
Kavi Jasimuddin and Hafiz Jullandhri.
In the beginning of
1948, the government of Pakistan received a letter from A.R. Ghani
from Transvaal, South Africa, stating that a sum of rupees five
thousand each would be awarded to the poet and composer of the
anthem. The government made the announcement of the award through a
press note published in June 1948. All the noted poets and composers
were approached by the NAC but without any encouraging response.
In 1950, the Shah of
Iran was to pay a State visit to Pakistan on the special invitation
of the government and it was thought desirable to play the anthem on
his arrival. The government, therefore, persuaded the NAC to submit
the anthem without further delay. The then federal education
minister, Fazlur Rahman, was chairman of the committee. He
immediately took up the matter and personally requested several
poets and composers to do the needful. A number of anthems were
written and presented but none was found up to the mark. Meanwhile,
lots of tunes were submitted by different composers. The NAC
examined them all, and the one presented by Ahmed G. Chagla was
selected and submitted to the Cabinet Division for formal approval.
Since the Shah’s arrival was nearing, it was decided to play Sindhi
musician Chagla’s tune without the text. The noted musician had a
masterly command over classical music of the subcontinent and had
also studied thoroughly the western way of music. He had been a
student in Trinity College of Music, England, and had the privilege
of being a pupil of the famous musician, Sir Henry Wood.
On the arrival of the
Shah of Iran in 1950 the national anthem was played but government
scrutiny of rhythmical notes continued and on January 5, 1954,
formal approval was given by the Cabinet in Karachi. Unfortunately,
on this joyous occasion Chagla was no longer alive. He had expired
eleven months before.
The NAC
managed to distribute gramophone records of Chagla’s composed tune
among prominent poets of the country for preparing the text. A
number of poets tried their luck. The NAC evaluated them all and
ultimately okayed one written by Abul Asar Hafiz Jullandhri, the
author of Shahnama-e-Islam. It was then submitted to the Central
Government for final approval. On August 16, 1954, the Ministry of
Information and Broadcasting officially announced approval of the
government vide its Press Note No. U-148-Z/16-8-1954, Registered
No. 1104(280), Karachi. Thus seven years after the foundation of the
Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the national anthem was played
alongside the hoisting of the flag.
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