Pakistan does national songs well. Over the years, we’ve accumulated quite the catalogue of songs that are full of jazba and junoon.
This Defence Day, let’s revisit some of these songs.
Aye Rah e Haq Kay Shaheedon.
This classic was written by Mashir Kazmi and the most popular version was performed by Madam Noor Jehan. The original was actually sung by Naseem Begum for the 1966 movie Madar e Watan, to pay homage to the martyrs of the 1965 war.
Here’s the original from the movie.
In 2016, Coke Studio released a multi-star version.
Har Ghari Tayyar Kamran Hein Hum
Formatted like a marching band tune, the song was composed by Niaz Ahmed and performed by Khalid Waheed in the 1970s. It remains one of songs most closely associated with the Armed Forces of Pakistan.
Here’s the original:
In 2020, ISPR released a reproduction of the song with Asim Azhar, Ali Noor, Ali Hamza and Ali Azmat featuring the band from the Army School of Music. While the song is technically sound and well produced, it doesn’t really carry the symbolism of the original.