Pakistan's 1st anthem, penned by a Hindu, stirs debate

ISLAMABAD: A lively debate over Pakistan���s founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah commissioning an Urdu-knowing Hindu to write the country���s first national anthem has erupted both in the real and virtual world after a write-up on the issue in a daily.
Long before Hafeez Jullundhri���s lyrics were adopted as the national anthem in 1950s, Pakistan had an anthem written by Jagannath Azad, son of Lahore-based poet Tilok Chand Mahroom.Azad was commissioned by Jinnah to write the anthem three days before the creation of Pakistan in 1947.
Azad���s lyrics ��� ���Ae sarzameene paak/Zarray teray haen aaj sitaaron se taabnaak/ Roshan hai kehkashaan se kaheen aaj teri khaak/Ae sarzameene paak��� (Oh land of Pakistan, the stars themselves illuminate each particle of yours/rainbows brighten your very dust) ��� were replaced six months after Jinnah���s death in September 1948. The
National Anthem Committee chose Hafeez Jullundhri���s poem from among 723 submissions.
In an article for the Dawn, writer-activist Beena Sarwar wrote, ���In all these deviations from Mr Jinnah���s vision, perhaps discarding Azad���s poem appears minuscule. But it is important for its symbolism. It must be restored and given a place of honour, at least as a national song our kids learn. After all, Indian kids learn Iqbal���s ���Saarey jahan se accha.���
Adil Najam, a well-known blogger, posted speeches by Azad on his blog. ���I asked my friends why Jinnah Sahab wanted me to write the anthem. They said the Quaid wanted the anthem to be written by an Urdu-knowing Hindu.
���Through this, I believe Jinnah Sahab wanted to sow the roots of secularism in Pakistan,��� read a post that quoted Azad. The debate comes at a time when Pakistanis are having a fresh look at the role played by Jinnah in the partition, thanks to a new biography of the country���s founder penned by former BJP leader Jaswant Singh.