Meera addressing a press conference in Lahore. PHOTO: TARIQ HASSAN/EXPRESS
The national anthem of Pakistan was however composed by Ahmad G Chagla in 1949, preceding the lyrics, which were written by Hafeez Jullundhri in 1952.
In the press conference, Meera spoke about how she has been mocked in the past and how she has never taken the jokes made about her too seriously.
She went on to compare herself to Iqbal, whom she said was also not taken seriously when he thought of building Pakistan and when he “wrote the national anthem”.
Meera said she too had a vision for Darul Shafqat -- the charity hospital she is in the process of building.
"Just as Iqbal had a vision for Pakistan, I too will be successful,” Meera said.
She went on to praise Chief Minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif and appreciated his efforts. She appealed to him for 10 acres of land to start building the hospital.
Meera has raised a reported $52,000 from the US and has been promised two million rupees from overseas Pakistanis for the construction of her hospital.
COMMENTS (28)
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sanu ki!!!!
She certainly isn't very bright and does shoot of her mouth. I think its fair for the press to correct her as it's very possible people hear her and believes what she says especially things that are erroneous.
It is laudable that she is trying to open a hospital. Nothing wrong with that.
If one is a public figure then what one says is open to scrutiny. Criticism of her isn't elitist. And god knows people do that all the time, elite or not.
We love you Meera!
@Abid P. Khan @Pakistani Ostrich: “Meera’s intellectual prowess is matched only by that of Imran Khan. “ . Meera realises and confesses that she is in the entertainment business. Do you honestly believe that IK would ever come to senses!
You are right. A fool (not IK) who knows himself to be a fool, is a wise man indeed. A fool( IK) who thinks himself to be the wisest, is a fool indeed!
@Abid P. Khan: I'll be honest I love her vocabulary, the way she talks and her over-the-top style........why should I make fun her, there probably is much wrong in what I do and so I don't think its right to point a finger at someone else. Yes, I do find her..... lets say entertaining.......but I refuse to look down upon her, or mock her. As I have said before I'm quite in awe of her.......and I get the nagging feeling that, inside she's actually laughing at us.
@Pakistani Ostrich: "Meera’s intellectual prowess is matched only by that of Imran Khan. " . Meera realises and confesses that she is in the entertainment business. Do you honestly believe that IK would ever come to senses!
Why would someone donate money for her noble cause. How can we trust her when we know about her past, her intellectual level and her seriousness. Meera try some other publicity stunt don't make fun of noble causes.
Hahahaha..................She is just a Tension Reliever.
ET...after reading this news....My head is eating circles (Mera sar chakkar kha raha hai)
Meera's intellectual prowess is matched only by that of Imran Khan.
@Parvez: "At least she is trying to do something…………which is much more than what most of us do." . Certainly, she should not be mocked at. Can she be kind enough to start collecting that special vocabulary that she uses. Life would become much easier for others who want to survive?
Meera pls visit Bollywood +++++++++++++++++++ Warm reception awaits you.
Thank you ET for enabling me to see a picture of real Meera ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Based in India I have only seen spoofs on her and her famous English usage. I just worry that in old age she doesnt become a teacher.
@Salman: It's 'of course'; not 'off course'... correct yourself first.
Okay, so the poor girl can't speak English to save her life, and has poor general knowledge. Are we going to continue bashing her over it for life? It's high time our journalists realised that their anti-meera comments are counterproductive, and reek of hatred and malice. Meera's flaws are obvious to everyone...mocking her over and over again for them serves very little purpose. It just shows that our journalists have some deep rooted insecurities, and can only feel better about themselves after belittling someone who's been humiliated enough. Leave her alone and get a life please.
At least she is trying to do something............which is much more than what most of us do.
"when he thought of building Pakistan" this sounds incorrect too
@Salman: I cudn't resist but to write back to u.. man u r funny.
Who cares if she cant speak english? Shes only trying to because there is this stupid obsession in pakistan in being to speak english with an american accent. somehow people respect you much more... well i can tell you i speak with almost a flawless american accent and theres nothing special about it. she seems to be trying to do something productive in pakistan. if you cant materially support her, at least respect her..
ET: Please do not distort the history. If Meera does not know, your esteemed columnists and newsmen also do not know the fact. The first national anthem of Pakistan was written by Jagan Nath Azad and not by Ahmed C. Chagla. It remained the national anthem till 1953 when Hafiz Jullundhri came into the scene. Regretfully it was again at the insistence of Jamat-e-Islami. We have paid heavily to accommodate this party. All we got in return was a slap in the face. Now they own Pakistan and we all are aliens.
Making Meera an object of mockery is so elitist. Knowledge and education is a privilege in Pakistan like most of the countries in the world. Mocking her is actually mocking the less privileged people of Pakistan (who happen to be a majority). It also is a commentary on the ideological material that is passed on as knowledge. In Pakistan everything is attributed to Iqbal and Quiad-e-Azam, ignoring many others. In fact, she made an intelligent choice to attribute the national anthem to Iqbal because he is the national poet in Pakistan. and guessing that he wrote it is a very valid. I am all for Meera as she stand for the majority of us as opposed to the foreign educated elites who do nothing but show of their elitist education.
Her IQ is higher than Nawaz Sharif who needs a luqma to complete a sentence. Mixes Mister with miss. At least the fate of 180 million does not depend on her unlike Nawaz.
Allama Iqbal wrote national song of India. She just got confused , give her a break ET
52000 dollars and 2 million rupees ? you can't build a decent house for this petty amount ... keep trying Meera - where can one donate for your cause?
Leave her alone please, ET be productive instead of making fun of others to discourage them.
Meera's logic explained: 1. Anthem written by : Allama Iqbal 2. Hospitals are the places : to rent rooms to old people 3. Pakistan's national game : Cricket (or may be gulli danda) 4. The white of national flag shows : the white off course 5. Campbelpur was a place in : South Africa 6. Most humiliating person on earth : Mir-a off-course, I am sure humiliating means genious
Forget about the glitches in her general knowledge, Her initiative to build a hospital is praiseworthy. Way to go girl...
Leave the poor girl alone I say . Its easy to look sharp and intelligent when doing nothing . At least this girl is trying to say something / do something like build a hospital. How do you know that all the quite / silent ones are super smart .