By: Asem Mustafa Awan
The nation is always left in an amazed state as a new Pandora’s box is opened one after the other, national cohesion and consensus in need of the hour and now fiddling with the national anthem that has been there for near seven decades will open up a fiery display of tongues lashing out on one another.
The committee that thought that re-recording of the national anthem should be questioned and their credentials must be checked. The most important fact that needs to be assessed that which member or members of the committee has a degree in music or has a family tree that gets the lineage from the ‘music maestros’ of the subcontinent.
The second most important thing that needs to be evaluated is how many of these committee members are dual nationals if anyone of these learned members possesses dual nationality then sadly they don’t have the right to sit or even think of changing the national anthem that has seen generations lost due to the whims of policymakers.
The nation is at a loss of words as ‘cone heads making policy’ are unaware of the pulse that drives the nation as a whole. Opening up Pandora’s boxes one after the other and then dividing the people and laughing at their misery is a tactic that has lost its charm as with time people have also learned the ‘divide and rule’ strategy though still working but is not making the desired impact as sought.
Has the committee ever thought that those who contributed to the conceptualization of the national anthem with oration and music and are all six feet under were matchless in their commitment to the motherland called Pakistan?
Has it ever occurred to these ‘change agents’ that all those who are now no more made sacrifices for Pakistan and put their heart and soul in national anthem with indefatigable commitment and perseverance.
The committee members for all it cares should evaluate themselves against the stalwarts of yesteryears and draw a parallel and measure themselves on that yardstick and there is no iota of doubt that their combined credentials don’t even match the dirt of the people who were the ‘true builders of Pakistan’.
There is another question the rerecording issue is raised as to create a discord followed by an argument that history is changing but the truth of the matter is that is there anyone who can take away the credit from great Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah the founding father of the nation.
The need that is raised now is that to involve the melodies from all over the country as the heard melodies were sweet and these ‘unheard’ will be more sweeter with equal representation.
The committee’s unanimous resolve, to bring in the best of available singers and musicians for the rerecording of the national anthem on Platinum Jubilee of Pakistan should keep that in mind that their effort should be unanimously accepted as this issue is likely to have a debate which will stay for years and years to come very much like the elections which are always considered to be rigged and have nation divided.
The writer is Special Correspondent at The Dayspring