Songs that carried September 1965 War

Roy Zia Ur Rahman

Islamabad: Long before smartphones, television alerts and social media transformed the way people experienced war, a simple radio set connected Pakistani homes to the events unfolding along the country’s borders.

During the September 1965 war, families gathered around radios for news from the front. But between the reports came something equally powerful — music.

Patriotic songs filled the airwaves, transforming fear and uncertainty into expressions of courage, sacrifice and hope. More than six decades later, many of those voices still return to Pakistani homes every September 6.

The songs of 1965 were not simply wartime entertainment. They became part of the country’s collective memory, preserving the emotions of a generation through poetry and melody.

When the radio became a national gathering place

In 1965, there was no internet, social media or mobile communication. Radio Pakistan served as one of the country’s principal sources of information, bringing developments from the war front into homes across the country.

At the same time, poets and musicians responded to the atmosphere of the conflict with an extraordinary outpouring of creative work.

Historical accounts suggest that around 2,000 Urdu poems were written in connection with the 1965 war, demonstrating how deeply the conflict influenced the country’s literary and cultural life.

Poetry moved from the page to the microphone, while singers transformed words into songs that could reach millions.

For soldiers stationed far from home, these songs could feel like messages from their families and countrymen. For those waiting anxiously at home, they offered reassurance and a sense of connection.

Noor Jehan: the voice that defined a war

Few artists became as closely associated with the September war as Malika-e-Tarannum Noor Jehan.

Her powerful rendition of “Aye Watan Ke Sajeele Jawano” became a celebrated tribute to the soldiers defending Pakistan.

Yet her Punjabi songs often carried an even more personal emotional weight.

“Mereya Dhol Sipahiya, Tainu Rabb Diyan Rakhan” had the tenderness of a prayer from a loved one asking for the safety of a soldier.

Then came “Aye Puttar Hattan Te Nahi Wikde”, written by Sufi Ghulam Mustafa Tabassum. Its message was deeply rooted in family and sacrifice, reminding listeners that those fighting at the front were not simply soldiers but sons, brothers and loved ones.

Through such songs, Noor Jehan became more than a singer during wartime. Her voice became part of the emotional landscape of September 1965.

Poets and singers write a nation’s soundtrack

The response to the war extended far beyond one voice.

Mehdi Hassan’s “Apni Jaan Nazar Karoon”, written by Masroor Anwar, expressed devotion to the homeland through the distinctive voice of one of Pakistan’s most celebrated singers.

Naseem Begum’s “Aye Rah-e-Haq Ke Shaheedo”, written by Mushir Kazmi, offered another perspective — remembrance and mourning.

The song became one of Pakistan’s most enduring tributes to those who lost their lives in the defence of the country. Its Radio Pakistan version is associated with the 1965 period, and it was later included in the 1966 film “Madar-e-Watan”.

Its emotional power has allowed it to survive far beyond the circumstances in which it was created.

Inayat Hussain Bhatti brought the energy of Punjabi patriotic music to the period with songs including “Jang Khed Nahi Hundi Zananian Di”.

Other recordings, including “Allah Ki Rehmat Ka Saya” and “Pakistani Baray Lariya”, also became part of the musical atmosphere surrounding the war.

Ustad Amanat Ali Khan’s “Aye Watan Pyare Watan, Pak Watan” likewise secured a lasting place in Pakistan’s national music repertoire.

When patriotic music reached the sea

The musical story of September 1965 was not confined to soldiers on the ground.

The Pakistan Navy also became part of the country’s wartime musical narrative.

Following the Pakistan Navy’s Dwarka operation, poet Jaun Elia wrote “Farmanrawa-e-Bahr-e-Arab, Pak Bahria”. The anthem was sung by Ahmed Rushdi, Nighat Seema and their companions, with music by Nathu Khan. Historical accounts record that it was broadcast by Radio Pakistan Karachi on September 9, 1965.

Elia’s writings on the war later appeared in the collection “Jang Tarang”, alongside works by other poets inspired by the conflict.

The tradition of naval patriotic music continued in later years with songs such as “Pak Bahria Farman Hai”.

“Samandaron Ka Seena Cheer Ke Chal Pare”, associated with the voice of Tausif Ahmed Khan, offered another musical image of the country’s defence — sailors leaving the familiar safety of the shore and heading into the open waters.

A soundtrack for the skies

The air force, too, found its place in the music of the era.

“Shaheen Sifat Yeh Tere Jawan”, written by Raees Farogh, paid tribute to the airmen defending Pakistan’s skies during the September war.

Composed by Rafiq Ghaznavi and sung by Taj Multani, Naseema Shaheen and their companions, the anthem drew on the image of the shaheen as a symbol of courage and determination.

In later years, patriotic songs such as Alamgir’s “Tum Hi Se Aye Mujahido” carried similar themes to new audiences, helping extend the tradition beyond the generation that had experienced the war firsthand.

More than music

The lasting significance of these songs lies not only in their melodies or lyrics but in the circumstances in which they were heard.

A mother waiting for news of her son could hear the same song as a soldier stationed hundreds of kilometres away.

A family gathered around a radio could share the same emotional experience as countless households across the country.

The singers gave the nation a voice. The poets gave its emotions words. Radio gave those words a reach that crossed cities, villages and battle lines.

Together, they created a shared soundtrack to one of the defining moments in Pakistan’s history.

Memory that survives in melody

For the generation that lived through September 1965, these songs were part of everyday life during an extraordinary period. For younger generations, they have become a cultural inheritance passed down through annual Defence Day broadcasts, television programmes, recordings and family memories.

Every September 6, the familiar voices return.

Noor Jehan’s calls to the country’s soldiers, Mehdi Hassan’s expressions of devotion and Naseem Begum’s tribute to the martyrs continue to resonate with audiences decades later.

Their endurance suggests that national memory does not always live in textbooks, monuments or official records.

Sometimes, it lives in a song.

The radios that once carried wartime broadcasts have largely disappeared from daily life, and the technology through which people consume music has changed beyond recognition.

But the songs remain.

They preserve the sound of a generation that experienced war not through instant digital images, but through voices carried across the airwaves — voices that turned poetry into courage, music into remembrance and a difficult moment in history into a memory that continues to be heard.