In celebration of the nation’s 75th anniversary of independence, the Pakistani government will release a new version of the national anthem on August 14.
The effort was taken, according to a statement made by the Steering Committee for the Re-recording of the National Anthem of Pakistan, to “represent the current inclusivity in voices and expression” while maintaining its core.
Additionally, “the committee adopted a gender-balanced, all-inclusive approach and hired vocalists from diverse regional, cultural, and ethnic origins, from all religious beliefs, and from all musical genres.”
125 singers participated in practicing and recording the nation’s song in Islamabad in June after practicing for the most recent version at the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) in Karachi.
Vocalists and Choir members
The following are the names of the vocalists and choir members featured in the re-recorded version:
Abdullah Qureshi, Abid Brohi, Abid Wilson, Adil Baloch, Ahmad Gul, Ahmed Jahanzeb, Ahsan Ali, Aizaz Sohail, Akbar Ali, Akbar Ali Khan, Akhtar Chanaal, Ali Hamdani, Ali Hamza, Alycia Dias, Amanullah Nasar, Anamta Saleem Sabri (of the Sabri Sisters), Aqdas Asif, Arif Khan, Arif Lohar, Arqam Khan, Asfar Hussain, Asim Baloch, Bakhtiar Khattak, Bilal Ali, Bilal Asvad, Bilal Saeed, Bisma Abdullah, Dr. Essa Kakar, Essa Khajjak, Fakhir Mehmood, Fariha Pervez, Fozia Yasmeen (of the Manwa Sisters), Goher Mumtaz, Haider Ali, Hamayoon Khan, Hamza Tanveer, Haroon Shahid, Humaira Javed, Hussain Baksh, Iman Shahid, and Irfan Ali Taj.
Singers
The other singers include Irfan Khan, Islam Habib, Jabar Abbas, Jana Nazareth, Jasim Haider, Jia Nauman, Junaid Javed, Karan Khan, Kashif Din, Kashif Zafar, Kehkashan Khan, Khalid Jahangir, Khurram Iqbal, Laila Khan, Lucky Khan, Maham Waqar, Maria Unera, Mehak Ali, Moez Mohamand, Naseer Afridi, Nasir Butt, Natasha Humera Ejaz, Nauman Lasharie, Niaz Balti, Nida Irtiza, Nimra Gilani, Nimra Rafiq, Nirmal Roy, Nirmala Maghani, Noman Asmet, Quaid Ahmed, Rabia Nazar, Rachel Johnson, Rafia Ali, Rahim Khan, Raisa Raisani, Rameez Mukhtar, Razia Abrar, Rizwan Anwar, Saba Noreen (of the Manwa Sisters), Sadiq Hussain, Sahir Ali Bagga, Sajjad Gohar, Salman Paras, Saman Areej (of the Sabri Sisters), and Sana Tajik.
The new version also features Sanwal Esakhelvi, Sardar Amar, Sehar Gul Khan, Shahab Hussain, Shahmir Quidwai, Shaina Johnson, Shamu Bai, Shaukat Faqeer, Sherry Raza, Shuja Haider, Sibtain Khalid, Sidra Kanwal, Sitara Younas, Sumraan Shafique, Sunny Sam, Tahir Feroz, Taj Mastani, Tehmina Tariq (Gospel Singer), Tina Sani, Umair Jaswal, Urooj Fatima, Usman With D, Vishnu, Wajahat Aalmi, Wajiha Naqvi, Wali Ullah Farooqi, Yamsa Noor, Yashwa Ayub, Yasir Khan Milzai, Zara Madani, Zarish Kaleem, Zeb Bangash, Zeek Afridi, Zeeshan Ali, Zille Huma (of the Manwa Sisters), Zoha Zuberi, Zohaib Zaman, and Zubin Ernest (Gospel singer).
According to the announcement, a video for the new rendition of the national anthem was created by Num Films, a production company located in Karachi.
The 16-member Steering Committee for the Re-Recording of the National Anthem was established by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in June 2021, with former senator Javed Jabbar serving as its chairman.
The previous version, which was officially adopted in 1954, featured the singers Ghulam Dastagir, Anwar Zaheer, Akhtar Wasi Ali, Kaukab Jahan, Najam Ara, Naseema Shaheen, Zawar Hussain, Akhtar Abbas, Rasheeda Begum, and Ahmad Rushdi.
