I had by no means 'forgotten' our beloved national anthem: Shafqat Amanat Ali

As Pakistan and India came face to face in Kolkata for a heavyweight World T20 clash on Saturday, seasoned Pakistani singer Shafqat Amanat Ali seemingly failed to seize the opportunity to make the nation proud with his otherwise immaculate singing skills.

Shafqat and Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan were present in Eden Gardens alongside the two teams to sing their respective national anthems before the historic event. However, the Pakistani singer could not keep up with the lyrics of the national anthem which caused displeasure among many fans across the country.

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The singer has since apologised for his performance, saying that he was deeply hurt by the little faith that Pakistanis showed in him.

"I admit that there were a few audio and technical glitches that may have sounded like lyrical errors and I will surely apologise for not being able to win your praises this time, but assure you I had by no means "forgotten" our beloved 'Qaumi Tarana," he tweeted.

Many took to Twitter to express disappointment over the singer’s performance.

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Some even suggested that Shafqat should have been ‘coached’ properly before singing on the ‘big stage’.

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While others said Bachchan is a better singer than Shafqat as the former ‘sounds more in tune’.