Pak Band Junoon Live Concert in Kashmir

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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So today Dawn is telling the truth and BBC is lying?

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An Indian will always lie out of hatred.

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Hello both,

Need I say more? Why don't you two first settle whether Dawn is Indian or not.

Regards
Pundit Vikram

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No one is supposing Dawn to be Indian. Its just that why don't you quote or believe tham when they talk about atrocities in occupied Kashmir?

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Apparently you aren’t capable of reading news stories correctly.

The Hurriyat’s strike, which effectively shut down Srinagar District, was on Saturday. The Junoon concert was on Sunday. And according to the Indian media, attendance was **less than 4,000. **Apparently, thousands of students at Kashmir University boycotted because they felt they were being pressured to attend by the university authorities to project a sense of ‘normalcy’ during the president’s visit.

And let me just say again how pathetic it is to see you try and equate anemic attendance at a Pakistani cultural event to a universal endorsement of Indian hegemony.

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Re: Pak Band Junoon Live Concert in Kashmir

Its good to see a bit of 'normalcy' to happen there.

Hope the fanatics do not make this into an anti-Islamic issue..

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When hatred fills the heart, an Indian isn't able to read properly.

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Re: Pak Band Junoon Live Concert in Kashmir

MUSIC knows no boundaries, allowing its universality to transcend age-old divisions and bring strangers —even rivals — closer to one another. Which is why one should appreciate, rather than condemn, concerts such as the one staged by Pakistan’s Junoon band in Srinagar on Sunday. Considering the militaristic attitudes that have over the decades come to dominate the Kashmir question, it was not surprising to hear jihadist concerns that the rock band’s presence would send the ‘wrong message’ to the international community about India’s political status in the Valley. However, the huge response to the band that played at the opening of the Institute of Kashmir Studies despite the death threats it had received from militants gave a different impression. Politics was forgotten as prominent South Asians, including Indian President Pratibha Patil, former Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga and civil society representatives from Pakistan amongst others enjoyed the performance that received thunderous applause from thousands of young Kashmiris. While this was not for the first time that Pakistani musicians performed in occupied Kashmir, Sunday’s concert, organised by the South Asia Foundation, created greater waves on account of the popularity of the band and its Sufistic message of peace.

There is no doubt that cultural exchanges, particularly in the performing arts, between India and Pakistan have been gaining momentum as part of people-to-people diplomacy. But they are especially relevant in war-scarred territories like Kashmir where there is anger against religious militants and their acts of violence as well as Indian troops that have perpetrated countless excesses on the population. Here, the people, especially the youth, need unrestricted forums to interact with those from the other side and in order to build up a non-political base for promoting peace in the region. Perhaps access of this kind will propel the governments of India and Pakistan to take a less rigid view of the situation and soften their respective political stances.

Source: http://www.dawn.com/2008/05/28/ed.htm#3

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Re: Pak Band Junoon Live Concert in Kashmir

sell-outs.

its clear from the identities of posters here which side of the divide Salman Ahmed is busy selling Junoon and Pakistan’s name out to. Banal cliched platitudes like “music knows no boundaries” and “the truth will conquer” and “we are all children of the ocean” aside, the Indians are busy heralding this as some sort of victory over Kashimiri liberation parties. Incidentally trying to paint this as jihadi vs secularists flies in the face of political groups, such as the students union and the jklf boycotting the event.

on the plus side, those attending had to listen to salman ahmad sing, so thats some consolation in itself

this is the event at which Salman Ahmed was croaking

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Re: Pak Band Junoon Live Concert in Kashmir

ravage, this event was endorsed by the Pakistani Govt, as well as the Pakistani media. Here you go, adding salt to your wounds:

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Re: Pak Band Junoon Live Concert in Kashmir

google india's search results is an endorsement?

regardless of whether the Pakistani govt did infact endorse such an event, my comments regarding the nature of such an act vis a vis the struggle in Kashmir stand. It was largely boycotted by the Kashmiri people who seek liberation, both political and militant activists. It is being used as a talking point in indian media and by indian posters here. Thats what matters,. and that indicates the nature of this self-important, presumptuous performance..

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Re: Pak Band Junoon Live Concert in Kashmir

lol ravage, search engines aren’t bigoted like some people, just take the ‘in’ off, actually let me do that, same thing. The peson who sent me the link is a student in Srinagar, but here you go, if its causing so much problems for you:

Pakistan’s leading newspapers, including Dawn and The News said it was a successful peace concert.

If it was boycotted, then why did people show up? This event had nothing to do with politics, its a peace concert. It was hailed by the Pakistani, Indian, western press as a success, now I don’t know how much credibility kashmirijihadwatch.com etc have witth what you posted about Kashmir University, which I fail to find a link with.

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Re: Pak Band Junoon Live Concert in Kashmir

*Over the past two decades, windows of entertainment and mass social interaction for Kashmir’s youth were slowly choked off by the insurgents and the government. Militants shut down cinemas, theatres and a handful of bars, calling them anti-Islamic and symbols of ‘India’s cultural invasion’. The government, in turn, deleted ‘hanging out in the evening’ from the social calendar of Kashmiris. The overwhelming military presence, the idea of negotiating through check posts, was factored into everything from wedding timings to a romantic rendezvous.

*With that said, the people of Kashmir deserve more of such events.

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Free drugs. Without drugs, concerts can be very crappy.

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Re: Pak Band Junoon Live Concert in Kashmir

the self defeating logic of saying "this has nothing to do with politics, its a peace concert" should be pretty self-evident.

questions of war and peace are inherently political.

Rahi baat credible sources ki, I and janab-e-ali posted two seperate links about the student unions protests/boycotts and its ham-handed quashing by the authorities. take your pick.

if junoon/salman ahmed go and play in jerusalem Im sure media would be over the moon with praise. dont know about the palestinians though.

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Re: Pak Band Junoon Live Concert in Kashmir

I think there should be a Pakistan vs India Peace Series, with the final held in Srinagar.

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Re: Pak Band Junoon Live Concert in Kashmir

ravage you keep editing your posts, so ill answer again... one sec...

Marvi Memon Resigns from PMLQ and as MNA
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You will be peaceful or else we will beat you into submission and make you peaceful!

Sort of like how America forces "democracy" on Iraq.

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The people of Kashmir suffer at the hands of both the militancy there by the freedom figheters and the Indian army. They have no social lives as a result. You are ok with that, but when they get a musical concert by some group they have heard so much about, you have problems with that? Whats so political about them going to something they'll enjoy?

[quote]

Rahi baat credible sources ki, I and janab-e-ali posted two seperate links about the student unions protests/boycotts and its ham-handed quashing by the authorities. take your pick.

[/quote]

I havent seen janaab-e-alla's link but I challenge you to post a neutral link, no jihadi kashmir uprising websites please. I gave you credible pakistani, indian and foriegn media about the success of this concert. Lets see if what you said comes from anything neutral.

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Re: Pak Band Junoon Live Concert in Kashmir

Ok I saw Janaab's links, they are about a strike in Kashmir, nothing to do with the concert, and plus we all know strikes in IoK are always effective, but I fail to see what connection you are trying to make here with this concert, that was NOT organized by the Govt.