Radio and Pakistan movement: the legacy lives on

Ahistorical announcement, which changed the fate of the Muslims of the subcontinent, was made on radio at 11:59 pm on August 13, 1947. The announcement was heard as follows:

The English translation of this announcement was done in the following words:

(Greetings Pakistan Broadcasting Service. We are speaking from Lahore. The night between the thirteenth and fourteenth of August, year forty-seven. It is twelve o'clock. Dawn of Freedom.)

The voice was of Mustafa Ali Hamdani who made a public announcement from Lahore radio station in Urdu and English, while Abdullah Jan Maghmoom made the announcement from Peshawar in Pashto. It was a momentous occasion, a new country on the map of the world had appeared. It was an answer to “Now or Never” of Choudhry Rahmat Ali; a realization of dream of all those who were chanting “Bat k rahe Hindustan Ban ke rahe ga Pakistan” since years.

Originally known as the Pakistan Broadcasting Service at the time of its inception on August 14, 1947, Radio Pakistan, serves as the national public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan. Although some local stations predate its founding, it is the oldest existing broadcasting network in Pakistan.

It was converted into Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation on December 20, 1972, as a statutory body governed by the board of directors and a Director General.

According to one of the pioneers of Radio Pakistan, Agha Nasir (February 9, 1937 –July 12, 2016), three radio stations at Dhaka (established in 1939), Lahore (1937) and Peshawar Radio Station (1935) existed at the time of independence of Pakistan on August 14, 1947. There was no radio station in the capital of Pakistan, Karachi in 1947. On a high priority basis, a major program of expansion saw new stations opened at Karachi and Rawalpindi in 1948, and a new broadcasting house at Karachi in 1950. This was followed by new stations at Hyderabad (1951), Quetta (1956), a second station at Rawalpindi (1960) and a Receiving Centre at Peshawar (1960). In 1970, training facilities were opened in Islamabad and a station opened at Multan.

With its broadcasts in 34 national, international and regional languages, radio has kept its steady pace of development, completely unaffected with the introduction of television in Pakistan in 1964 and later mushrooming growth of satellite TV channels. Before any national day, we still find studios at the Karachi and other stations busy recording special programs with important personalities.

Shabbir Ahmed Siddiqui, senior journalist and broadcaster spent more than five decades in journalism. He worked in both print and electronic media. From 1964 to 1978 he was with print journalism, working in various capacities in newspapers, from 1978 to 2005 he was with radio and retired as Controller Program. After retirement from radio, he joined a private TV channel where he served till 2014 as Shift Incharge. His book Sahafat se Sahafat Tak has chronicled many memories of his time.

While recalling his memories on radio related to 14th August, Shabbir Saheb says, “In the early days of Pakistan, 14th August was a special occasion in the nation's life. People had a profound love for Pakistan and deep respect for those who sacrificed for its creation. Many leaders who were part of the Pakistan Movement acknowledged that, until 1958, celebrating August 14th was akin to celebrating Eid.

“I was in Mirpur Khas in 1956, and on August 14, the entire populace of the city would converge at a camping ground, now known as Gama Stadium. Although there was no parade, various activities such as games, debate competitions, horse and camel races, circuses, fancy dress shows, exhibitions, rope walkers and tall men provided entertainment for children and adults alike.”

Schoolchildren would present tableaus, skits, songs, and ballads depicting the history of Pakistan and paying tribute to the stalwarts of the Pakistan Movement. “This culture was not imposed on any one, because every household had individuals who had made sacrifices for the creation of Pakistan, and they would share these stories with their children, who understood the true meaning and purpose of Pakistan. Unfortunately, today, we do not inculcate these values in our children, as parents often do not have time to talk to their children.”

“At the Hyderabad radio station, the debates of debaters like Prof. Qavi Ahmed, Mirza Abid Abbas (father of journalists Mazhar Abbas and Azhar Abbas), and Anwar Ahmed Zai were aired. Similarly, radio artists Mustafa Qureshi and Muhammad Ali (who later became popular film stars) would participate in special programs for August 14.”

Shabbir Sahib had the privilege of meeting people like Nawab Siddique Ali Khan, Khwaja Nazimuddin, Sardar Abdur-Rub Nashtar, Maulvi Fareed Ahmed, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, and Noorul Amin (who became Deputy President of Pakistan in Yahya Khan government). Shabbir Sahib believes that sometimes, there is exaggeration in the portrayal of our heroes, leading to a distorted history.

He recalls, “When a bullet hit Liaquat Ali Khan, he fell into the lap of Nawab Siddique Ali Khan. I asked Nawab Sahib if it was true that Liaquat Ali Khan’s last words before death were, ‘Allah Pakistan ki hifazat kare – May Allah save Pakistan.’ Nawab Saheb kept quiet and did not answer. His silence was very surprising to me.”

Shabbir Saheb notes that during Zia’s era, they did an 18-hour live transmission on radio on August 14. However, by that time, the fervour and festivities associated with the day had lowered. In many places, there were no celebrations, but they had to follow orders to show festivities around the country.

Siddiqui finds the same spirit of enthusiasm missing in today’s Pakistan. “Born in an age of corruption and injustice, the new generation hardly knows how Pakistan was created because all they have seen are negative things around them, so they do not love their country,” he noted.

Siddiqui says there used to be free film shows on 14th August and films like “Bedari” starring Santosh and Rattan Kumar and “Pakistan ka Tasweeri khabarnaba” with Talat Hussain and Nargis Khan voice overs were shown in cinema. Sweets used to be distributed among schoolchildren for their families at home. Similarly, documentary films of Indian Muslims traveling to Pakistan on foot or on animal carts were also shown on TV.

Senior broadcaster and renowned voice of Radio Pakistan Karachi, Seema Raza, also has the honour of working with veteran radio producers and directors like Sibtain Jafri, Iqbal Jafri, Muhammad Naqi, Saeed Mir, Shabbir Siddiqui, and Iqbal Azam Faridi.

She reminisced about how 14th August was a highly celebrated occasion on Radio Pakistan. “A countdown promo reminder, aired daily in the beautiful voice of Sibtain Jafri, kept the momentum high.”

Radio stations in Islamabad, Multan, Peshawar, Lahore, and Karachi would produce special plays under a popular program Jashn-i-Tamseel. Veteran producers like Iqbal Jafri, Usman Sahib, Meesaq Hussain Zaidi, Qamar Ali Abbasi, Khurshid Alam, Hasan Kazmi, and Aftab Jafri were involved in these productions. Another annual highlight was the Azadi Mushaira. Sometimes, the DG Radio or Minister of Information would attend these session as chief guests.

Radio Pakistan also used to host a Jashn-i-Azadi Lok Mela at all stations. “I organized a children's song competition during one such mela, where children sang classic songs originally performed by veteran singers,” she says. These festivals were aired in Azadi transmission. Shahid Masroor would write skits for the in-house productions of radio. Zia-ur-Rehman Zia would arrange Azadi quiz in Bazm-i-Talaba (students' program).

“Under the program "Kalam-i-Shair Ba Zaban-i-Shair," poets used to present their own poetry. I recorded the poetic renditions of Aijaz Rehmani, Manzar Ayubi, Sehar Ansari, and others. There used to be special sessions on the Pakistan movement with participants like Himayat Ali Shair, Qazi Wajid, Prof. Rasheed, Shahida Jamil, and Begum Shaista Afandi.”

In the early nineties, “we were part of the OB team of late Badar Rizwan Sahib, a known name in documentary and OB recordings. We interviewed many prominent women of Pakistan movement in this program. OB vans would also record Azadi preparation in various parts of the city for a daily program “Shehernama.”

“Begum Khursheed Hafeez, an active member of the Pakistan Movement, used to organize discussion sessions at her residence in Nazimabad. After the session, she would distribute green dupattas to the attending women,” recalls Seema.

“We also recorded the views of the sons of Liaquat Ali Khan, who lived in Martin Quarters or Jamshed Quarters, on their father's role in the Pakistan movement, took perspective of the Ispahani family for the radio. Barrister Shahida Jamil provided insights into Bengal's participation in the movement and the role of her maternal grandfather, Suhrawardi Saheb in the movement. We also had sessions with her younger maternal aunt, Begum Shaista Suhrawardy Ikramullah, who worked with the Quaid-i-Azam and Fatima Jinnah,” says Seema. Begum Ikramullah was the first Muslim woman to earn a PhD from the University of London. She was Pakistan's ambassador to Morocco from 1964 to 1967, and was also a delegate to the United Nations debating for a more gender inclusive language in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Going down memory lane Seema Raza says that the most popular program for children was ‘Bachon ki Duniya’ aired on Sunday at 10.00am. Prominent figures like Kashfi Saheb, Bilqees Kashfi, Raees Alvi, Prof. Haroon Rasheed, Kaif Banarsi (famed for "Le ke rahen gay Pakistan") would participate in these programs.”

Iffat Naqi, the wife of Naqi Saheb, Bushra Noor Khwaja, Shagufta Aftab, Rabia Akram all these radio personalities contributed to make 14th August a memorable occasion.

An important program was ‘Tareekh k Jharokon Se,’ (A peep into History), a daily show where researchers delved into historical facts about significant personalities or events and would present it on radio. “Another special program was ‘Subh-e-Pakistan’ which was the first morning show of its kind initiated by radio and later was presented on PTV. It was the brainchild of Producer Azeem Sarwar and the 14th August program, in particular, was traditionally managed by Karachi.”

“In its special transmission on 14th August, messages from the President and Prime Minister are broadcasted in this program. Live details of the change of guard’s ceremonies at Quaid's Mausoleum in Karachi and Allama Iqbal's Mausoleum in Lahore are relayed. This program is produced still today under the supervision of current Program Director Mehboob Sarwar.”

In a world where information is rapidly disseminated through both conventional and modern digital and social media, radio still maintains its audience, particularly in the rural areas of the country. The tradition of documenting and sharing valuable stories about the Pakistan Movement continues to thrive on the radio even today.