Punwani: seeking to right a 'wrong'Lucknow:It might be 50 years late, but Partition seems to have finally caught up with the national anthem. Close on the heels of the controversy over the tune of the anthem and who composed it, comes another one: under scrutiny this time are the lyrics and the continued usage of the word "Sindh" in it, five decades after the province became a part of Pakistan.The issue has been raised by the Bhartiya Krantikari Kamand Party (BKKP), which is registered with the Election Commission but is not contesting the elections. Mostly former army personnel, BKKP members first raised the issue with Shankar Dayal Sharma when he was President. Says Major (retd) G.I. Punwani, the party's state president: "It is shameful for us to continue to have Sindh in our national anthem." According to Punwani, Sharma was "shocked when we brought this to his notice" and asked the Home Ministry to look into the matter. However, he says, nothing was done.Punwani wrote to President K.R. Narayanan this year requesting him to look into the matter. Narayanan has acknowledged the letter and a team of the Intelligence Bureau recently met Punwani to enquire about the controversy. It may not be long, it seems, before the national anthem is given a geographical second look.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Mar 2, 1998--- ENDS ---
