Patriotism in Two Voices: A Comparative Study of Civilian and ISPR-Produced National Songs in Pakistan
Abstract
This study investigates the thematic distinctions between civilian-produced and Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR)-produced national songs in Pakistan, examining four core elements: Lyrics, Visuals, Patriotic Symbols, and Messages. Using content analysis and frequency analysis on a purposive sample of ten songs released between 2020 and 2024, the research finds that ISPR songs are driven by nationalism, unity, and institutional pride, while civilian songs are more culturally centric and emotionally resonant.
National Songs as Instruments of Identity
In Pakistan, national songs — commonly called mili naghmay — are far more than seasonal entertainment. Played on Independence Day, Defence Day, and during national crises, they serve as emotional anchors connecting citizens to a shared national identity. Yet not all national songs are created equal. While civilian artists draw from cultural roots and personal emotion, Pakistan’s military media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), produces songs with a distinctly strategic intent.
This research, conducted at the University of Karachi’s Department of Mass Communication, bridges a gap in Pakistani media studies by systematically comparing the thematic content of civilian and ISPR-produced national songs — examining what each communicates, to whom, and through what cultural codes.
“National songs serve as a potent medium for articulating national concerns, collective grief, courage, emotional expression, and rhetorical or instructive themes.” — Abbas (2019)
A History of Melody and Military: The Evolution of Pakistani Patriotic Music
Pakistan’s national songs have evolved alongside its political history. In the years immediately following independence in 1947, songs like Hum Laye Hain Toofan Se Kashti Nikal Ke celebrated the nation’s birth. The 1965 Indo-Pakistani War dramatically transformed this landscape — singer Noor Jehan recorded over 30 war songs alone, earning her the title Malika-e-Tarranum (Queen of Melody).
The 1980s brought another shift: the emergence of pop-inflected patriotism through bands like Vital Signs, whose Dil Dil Pakistan was ranked the third most beloved song globally by BBC World in 2003. This blending of modern sound with national sentiment set the template that both civilian and ISPR productions continue to follow today.
ISPR itself was established in 1949 and has grown into a formidable media production entity — having produced over 60 patriotic songs, 20 documentaries, and approximately 10 television serials and films. More recently, it has widened its thematic scope beyond purely military narratives toward peace, cultural pride, and social unity.
Research Design and Methodology
The study employs content analysis and frequency analysis on a purposive sample of ten national songs — five civilian-produced and five from ISPR — released between 2020 and 2024. Songs were selected on the criterion of popularity, excluding those with narrow military-event significance, in order to identify broader thematic patterns.
Each song was coded across four elements: Lyrics (thematic categories), Visuals (scene-by-scene coding), Patriotic Symbols (flags, heroes, slogans), and Message (overarching narrative intent). Frequency counts were converted to percentages for cross-song comparison.
Songs Analysed
| # | Civilian Songs | # | ISPR Songs |
| 1 | Quaid Ka Pakistan (2021) | 1 | Har Ghari Tayyar Kamran (2020) |
| 2 | Pardes (2022) | 2 | Mader-e-Meherban (2021) |
| 3 | Mera Watan Yeh Mera Pakistan (2022) | 3 | Aik Qaum, Aik Manzil (2021) |
| 4 | Dilkash or Jalali Parcham Hy Apna (2022) | 4 | Shad Rahay Pakistan (2022) |
| 5 | Ham Pakistani Hain (2024) | 5 | Azm-e-Istehkam (2024) |
Key Findings
Lyrics: Theme Distribution
Across all lyrical content, the two categories exhibit sharply different priorities. Civilian songs averaged 49.5% emotional appeal and 40.6% nationalism — anchoring patriotism in personal feeling. ISPR songs averaged 48.2% nationalism and 29.7% unity, with a uniquely strong presence of “Call to Action” — a category entirely absent from civilian productions.
| Civilian Theme | % | ISPR Theme | % |
| Nationalism | 31.5% | Nationalism | 68.5% |
| Unity | 9.1% | Unity | 90.9% |
| Emotional Appeal | 38.1% | Emotional Appeal | 61.9% |
| Call to Action | 0% | Call to Action | 100% |
Visuals: What the Camera Shows
The visual gap between the two song types is even more pronounced. ISPR songs carry a total visual frequency of 317 coded instances, compared to 147 for civilian songs — reflecting significantly higher production scale. ISPR visuals foreground the armed forces (63.9%) and people (74.8%), creating a narrative of collective military pride. Civilian songs lean toward natural landscapes (31%) and human subjects (25.2%), prioritising beauty and relatability over institutional imagery.
| Visual Element | Civilian Songs | ISPR Songs | Total Instances | Notes |
| Armed Forces | 36.1% | 63.9% | 147 | ISPR dominant |
| Visuals of People | 25.2% | 74.8% | 135 | ISPR dominant |
| Landscapes | 31.1% | 68.9% | 103 | ISPR dominant |
| Cultural Depiction | 37.8% | 62.2% | 37 | ISPR dominant |
| National Unity | 30.0% | 70.0% | 10 | ISPR dominant |
| Use of Colour (vivid) | 56.3% | 43.8% | 16 | Civilian dominant |
Patriotic Symbols
Both song categories are dominated by the national flag — present in nearly every song. However, ISPR songs employ a broader symbolic vocabulary: national heroes appear at 62.5%, symbols at 66.7%, and love for the motherland at 68% — compared to civilian songs’ comparatively narrower range. The flag alone accounts for 48.1% (civilian) and 51.9% (ISPR) of all symbolic content.
Two Models of Patriotism
| Civilian ProductionsThe Emotional Patriot | ISPR ProductionsThe Strategic Patriot |
| Civilian songs prioritise cultural diversity, nostalgia, and personal emotional connection to the homeland. Productions like Sajjad Ali’s Pardes explore the experience of overseas Pakistanis; others celebrate Pakistan’s natural beauty through drone cinematography. They are people-centric and relatable, aimed at evoking broad civic pride rather than institutional loyalty. | ISPR songs serve a dual purpose: celebrating national identity while reinforcing the military’s role within it. Featuring top-tier artists (Ali Zafar, Abida Parveen, Shafqat Amanat Ali), they are visually polished and thematically purposeful — released on Defence Day and Pakistan Day to maximum effect. Increasingly, ISPR has broadened its themes to include peace and unity. |
The study’s findings align with Benedict Anderson’s (1983) theory of Imagined Communities — the idea that shared cultural artifacts (like songs) construct and reinforce a collective sense of national belonging. Both civilian and ISPR songs participate in this project, but through different registers: civilian songs invite citizens to feel the nation; ISPR songs ask them to stand for it.
“ISPR songs evolved from military-centric messages to integrating messages of peace and cultural unity — reflecting a more comprehensive approach to national cohesion.” — Ahmed (2024), as cited in this study
Why This Research Matters
Pakistan’s media landscape remains one in which the military holds significant cultural influence. ISPR’s production reach — supported by substantial institutional resources and A-list artists — gives its patriotic output a visibility that most civilian productions cannot match. This creates an asymmetry in how patriotism is framed for Pakistani audiences, with military-aligned narratives occupying outsized sonic and visual space.
Understanding this asymmetry is essential for scholars of media, communication, and political culture — and for citizens who consume these songs as entertainment without necessarily recognising their rhetorical architecture. The research joins a growing body of international scholarship on music as a strategic communication tool, from FARC’s rap releases in Colombia to military music video campaigns in China, Iraq, and the United States.
Conclusion
Both civilian and ISPR national songs are vital instruments of nation-building in Pakistan, but they pursue this goal through distinct strategies. Civilian songs build patriotism through cultural resonance, emotional relatability, and inclusive imagery of people and landscapes. ISPR songs build it through institutional pride, unity messaging, calls to action, and the strategic deployment of symbols and heroes.
The national flag stands as the single most universal symbol across both categories, appearing in virtually every song, suggesting that some elements of Pakistani patriotic expression transcend the civilian-military divide. However, the depth of symbolism, the scale of production, and the directness of messaging remain powerfully different.
Together, these two streams of national song constitute a dynamic, occasionally overlapping, sometimes competing narrative of what it means to love Pakistan — and who gets to define that love.
Citation
Azhar, S. (2024). A Comparative Study between Themes of Civilian and ISPR-Produced National Songs in Pakistan. M.A. Thesis, Department of Mass Communication, University of Karachi. Supervised by Dr. Asmat Ara.
Research article adapted from the original thesis for academic web publication.
