Dawn Images

A lot has changed in 75 years but the philosophy of Pakistan remains the same. In order to better represent it, the national anthem has been re-recorded to be inclusive of cultures, languages and traditions of Pakistan. In order to do that, musicians from all over the country with diverse regional, cultural and ethnic backgrounds gathered and sang the anthem as one.

Gender-balanced and inclusive of national musical talent, the re-recording used the original wording and score to create a sound that resonates with all Pakistanis. The diverse singers include Balochistan's Abid Brohi, Punjab's Arif Lohar, Sindh's Taj Mastani, KPK's Sehar Gul Khan, Gilgit Baltistan's Sidra Kanwal and many more!

The video, in travelogue style, takes the viewer across Pakistan and features its regions and people, hand on heart, singing the anthem. It also depicts the variety of religions and professions found in Pakistan.

The official page for the anthem introduced the singers, representing their unique identities as artists but also being a voice for their cultures, languages and traditions, on Instagram. Some of them even sang some of their favourite national songs behind the scenes.

In honour of the 75th anniversary of Pakistan’s independence, the committee had vowed to enlist vocalists from diverse regional, cultural and ethnic backgrounds, from all religious faiths and musical genres. “It is intended that the re-recording in 2022 becomes an occasion to bring together the rich diversity of the nation to express the unique national identity and solidarity of the people of Pakistan.”

The original musical score was composed by Ahmed G. Chagla and written by poet Abdul Hafeez Jalandhari. The first official anthem was recorded in 1954. It featured a limited number of voices and was recorded with the facilities available at the time. In the succeeding 70 years, however, there have been major developments in music technology as well in the emergence of diverse musical talent in the country.