Pak Band Junoon Live Concert in Kashmir

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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yeap. concert for peace indeed.

fact is concerts like these are not without political meaning. if not then every indian media outlet and every indian poster here wouldnt be rubbing it in the face of Kashmiri pro-liberation forces.

Lemme correct myself, she and I posted the same link.

Unfortunately Kashimiri media sites, possibly due to the govt’s controls on them, are quite limited. Here is a google search. If you contend that Kashmir liberation groups (political activists, not militants) welcomed the concert, give me a link. The first of two results has the following press release from JKLF (not a jihadi group) though:

but ofcourse… so long as hindustantimes writes laudatory editorials..

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First two? there are only two (greaterkashmir.com) talking about what a JKLF leader thinks about it… I don’t care what politicians think Ravage, I said the people of Srinagar loved it, and the concert was a success. **Like I said, I have posted tonnes of articles from Pakistani, Indian, Kashmiri, Foreign credible news agencies that the concert is a success. **Now unless you can prove the concert was not a success, and the people of Kashmir didnt want it, I’ll just stop replying as I am sure my time is equally precious as yours.

As for the JKLF leader opinion that you posted for some resaon, I’ll give you my view on it though its irrelevant. He sounds dictatorial when he is stopping non-governmental societies such as the South Asian Foundation to hold concerts.

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how about dawn, the news, bbc, reuters, afp?

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Re: Pak Band Junoon Live Concert in Kashmir

It is a political issue, regardless of how you try to spin it. The very idea of “war” and “peace” is POLITICAL in nature, therefore what politicians say about it is very relevant. if it isnt political why were political personalities attending? why was the coverage, esp in indian and foreign media overtly along political lines?

you say the event was a success. the organizers gave out 10,000 tickets, mostly to students. of those 4000 attended. Which means most tickets were unutilized, even when students supposedly starved of entertainment were given free tickets. now one may think that KU students are just too studious, or one may think that maybe the protest of political parties had some resonance with the people they represent. To spare your feelings I wont raise the theory that 6/10 students knew how bad a singer salman ahmad really is and how he butchers the best junoon songs into suicide-inducing cacophonies :slight_smile:

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Re: Pak Band Junoon Live Concert in Kashmir

ravage, ab roh mat yar, you couldnt prove it was a failure, I posted all the links, and you were holding a fit on some jihadi kashmnir website :heh, which needless to say didnt even talk about the concert being a failure. Try harder next time, and here Here is the full article which you didnt post here, just linked selectively:

                          Srinagar, May 24: Brushing aside the reservations to their performing live in Kashmir, Pakistani Sufi-rock band Junoon has asked separatist and militant groups to join them tomorrow in a "musical Jehad" to usher in peace and harmony in the state.                        

                   The band arrived here today, set for a high-voltage show along the banks of the Dal lake including their runaway hit `Sayouni..` from the self-titled debut album which propelled them to stardom.

"We will sing songs of unity, peace, brotherhood and joy, and this seems to be the perfect setting for these kind of songs," guitarist Salman Ahmad said, trying a few bluesy riffs ahead of their maiden gig.

President Pratibha, who is also on her first official tour of Jammu and Kashmir, Union Minister Mani Shankar Aiyer, Governor SK Sinha and Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad are expected to be would be among the invitation only audience at Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre.

Asked about the opposition by United Jehad Council Chief Syed Salahuddin and Hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani to their performing in the Kashmir valley, Ahmad said "I want them to join us in a musical Jehad for peace and ring the bells of harmony", a sentiment echoed by Tabla player Samir Chatterjee.

The fusion band members now settled in the US first visited India in 1998 and have since been trying to get permission to perform in the valley.

"Finally, it has come through and I am happy," Ahmad said.

On settling at the centre, Junoon got down to a rehearsal and fans could expect their rendering of the poetry of Bulleh Shah, Iqbal and Maulana Rumi, combining the gruff vibrancy of rock with the lilting strains of sufi music.

South Asia Foundation, a no-profit organisation, is organising the music event in collaboration with Kashmir University to promote peace in the border state hit by nearly two decades of violence.

Though Pakistani singers have performed in Kashmir over the past few years following the thaw in Indo-Pak relations, this a first for a rock band of the status of Junoon.

It has a huge fan following in the valley, especially the youth.

The organisers are not organising an open sale of tickets, but are issuing 10,000 invitation passes, most of which will be issued to students of Kashmir University.

Bureau Report

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Re: Pak Band Junoon Live Concert in Kashmir

oh, and as far as how many wanted to go:
**
An estimated 5,000 Kashmiri students witnessed the performance but, reports said, more than double that number were keen on attending the event.**

http://www.dawn.com/2008/05/26/top4.htm

500, 5000, or 50000 it was a successfull concert in the end.

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Re: Pak Band Junoon Live Concert in Kashmir

the article was posted as a reference for 10,000 tickets being given away, mostly to students. most press reports, including BBC, also mentioned the 10,000 vs 4,000 attendance figure.

it doesnt take much to get a crowd. Musharraf had more people at his rallies than this :)

Reality of Imran Khan - as viewed by his adversaries..
Reality of Imran Khan - as viewed by his adversaries..
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Re: Pak Band Junoon Live Concert in Kashmir

But yet, every single article said the concert was a success :hehe: oops except jihadwatch.com?

working women outfits.
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Not that it matters, but BBC said 5K, learn to read properly.

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Re: Pak Band Junoon Live Concert in Kashmir

Tuesday, May 27, 2008
The rousing concert by the band ‘Junoon’, by the banks of the picturesque Dal Lake in Srinagar, has been received joyously by the thousands of young Kashmiris who thronged to hear the band’s unique rendition of Sufi-inspired songs. Indeed, the message of peace, brotherhood and goodwill that dominates the Sufi tradition, and has been taken up by Junoon, is well-suited to the conflict-hit Valley of Kashmir today. The concert by the band, held to celebrate the opening of the Institute of Kashmir Studies at Kashmir University, took place despite the death threats to the members of the group by militants. The United Jihad Council had opposed Junoon’s performance in Srinagar on the basis that no Pakistani outfit should perform in Indian Held Kashmir, as this legitimized the Indian hold on the territory.

The situation in Kashmir is of course a deeply disturbing one. The Indian atrocities in the valley violate all principles of humanity and have left deep scars that will take generations to heal. But this does not mean that young people should be denied a chance to enjoy some rare entertainment and wholesome fun. Junoon’s musical efforts have already done a great deal to bolster Indo-Pakistan unity and understanding. Such understanding is crucial to solving the issue of Kashmir, which can come only by permitting the Kashmiris, held hostage for too many decades to political considerations, to chose their own destiny and determine their own future. Junoon’s concert helped humanize the often faceless people of Kashmir and prove that their will does not necessarily coincide with that of the militants who see violence as the only means to achieve freedom for the territory and its people. In the longer-term, however, this feeling of goodwill has to be matched by sustainable confidence-building measures, especially those that relate to the travel of not only Kashmiris across the Line of Control but also those living elsewhere in the two countries. A flexible and liberalized visa regime, ideally one which does away with the torturous and often needless process of police reporting, will have to be central to this.

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http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\05\26\story_26-5-2008_pg7_44

Junoon’ enthrals war-weary Kashmiris ** Hurriyat leader had called for boycott of the event*

**SRINAGAR: Thousands of people in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK) danced and cheered during a rare concert by a Pakistani rock band on Sunday, the biggest musical event in IHK in decades. **

The five-member band “Junoon” which claims a huge South Asian fan base, enthralled concert-goers on the banks of Dal Lake, where Indian musician Ravi Shankar is rumoured to have taught Beatle George Harrison how to play the sitar in the 1960s.

The audience cheered as the band’s lead singer Salman Ahmed sang Sufi songs in Urdu. Prasad Rao, whose non-governmental South Asia Foundation (SAF) organised the event, said the concert was aimed at encouraging regional co-operation and peace.

Chandrika Kumaratunga, a former president of Sri Lanka who heads her country’s SAF chapter, added: “This is the best way to promote peace.”

“It is great to see music healing wounds in Kashmir and propagating friendship between India and Pakistan,” said Mehnaz Ali, a 21-year-old female student.

The performance was a rare cultural event in IHK, where such shows have been shelved since the outbreak of an insurgency in 1989.

Boycott: Syed Ali Gillani, who heads the hardline faction of Indian Kashmir’s main separatist alliance, last week called for a boycott of the show since “Kashmir was a disputed area.”

Violence in Kashmir has claimed more than 43,000 lives in the past two decades. But it has fallen since peace talks were launched in 2004 between India and Pakistan, who administer the region in part but claim it in full. afp

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Re: Pak Band Junoon Live Concert in Kashmir

haha, not that it matters!

Im not sure where the bbc article says 5,000, but maybe you can find it.

Hurriyat calls for boycott, JKLF calls for boycott, Jihadies formerly known as Freedom Fighters call for boycott.

Kashmir has some 70% people wanting liberation... and these parties represent them. Ofcourse you can play to the remaining 30%, and Im sure they are many more than 4, 5, or even 10k!

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Re: Pak Band Junoon Live Concert in Kashmir

Reuters:

Junoon rocks Kashmir with Peace

http://uk.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=83203&videoChannel=76

May 25 - Strife-torn Indian Kashmir rocked to the beat of music of renowned Pakistani band ‘Junoon’ for peace. The concert, biggest musical event in the disputed Kashmir region in nearly two decades, was held in Srinagar amid tight security.
A Times Now report.

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In the end, a concert such as this is useless and a waste of time. Nothing changes in Kashmir.

The concert just benefits its organizers and gives a boost to the already inflated ego of Salman Ahmed.

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Re: Pak Band Junoon Live Concert in Kashmir

truer words never spoken Moonshiner.

may I also add that it inflates the false sense of 'everythings normal in Kashmir they never wanted to leave us' in Indian circles.

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Re: Pak Band Junoon Live Concert in Kashmir

More from International Media

Kashmiris forget war to rock with Junoon

                                                                                           By Sheikh Mushtaq                                                                 *Mon May 26,  3:01 AM ET*                             
                                                  
                        SRINAGAR (Reuters Life!) - Thousands of Kashmiris, more accustomed to the rattle of gunfire than guitar power chords, screamed, clapped and danced on Sunday to the first Pakistani band to play in the region for at least two decades.

“Welcome, Kashmir, to the Sufi peace concert,” said Salman Ahmed, the band’s lead singer.
Junoon, which means obsession in Urdu, belts out rock tunes inspired by Sufism, a mystical branch of Islam widely practiced in Kashmir, India’s only Muslim-majority region.
“It’s mesmerising,” said 21-year-old student Shahid Khan, as music from guitars, drums and electric keyboards echoed through the green hills. “I can’t believe this is happening in Kashmir.”
Ties between India and Pakistan, which have fought wars over disputed Kashmir, are slowly becoming warmer. Sunday’s concert took place days after the two South Asian rivals said they had put their flagging peace process back on track.
Separatist Muslim guerillas once banned most forms of entertainment, but the militants’ influence in Kashmir has waned since India and Pakistan began talking about peace in 2004.
In a nearby field, a popular India-wide soccer tournament, the Santosh Trophy, also returned to the region on Sunday for the first time in three decades.
“The music in Kashmir had disappeared. But I think now God has answered our prayers and peace and normal life is returning,” shouted Shaida Parveen, a university student. “This was just impossible a few years ago.”
Policemen in motorboats patrolled the lake where musician Ravi Shankar is said to have taught the Beatles’ George Harrison how to play the sitar as they sat in a houseboat.
“It’s like reversing the Beatles’ journey,” Ahmed said.
Not everyone enjoyed the music.
“Pakistan should not let any of its cultural groups, such as Junoon, perform in the disputed territory of Kashmir,” Syed Salahuddin, chairman of the Pakistan-based Kashmiri militant alliance United Jihad Council, said in a statement.
He complained the performance gave legitimacy to Indian rule in Kashmir.
Officials say more than 43,000 people have been killed in nearly two decades of rebellion, which India says is backed by Pakistan. Pakistan denies the charges. Human rights groups put the toll at around 60,000 dead or missing.
The concert was organised by the South Asian Foundation, a non-governmental organisation that promotes peace in the region.

A Kashmiri girl dances during a concert by renowned Pakistani rock band, Junoon in Srinagar May 25, 2008.

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Re: Pak Band Junoon Live Concert in Kashmir

Aol Entertainment News News, Politics, Sports, Mail & Latest Headlines - AOL.com

Strife-torn Indian Kashmir is set to rock to the beat of music, not bombs, this weekend as the renowned Pakistani band Junoon performs for the region’s biggest musical event in nearly two decades in a bid for peace.

Junoon, arguably one of South Asia’s hottest rock bands, will play on Sunday on the banks of Lake Dal with towering snow-capped Himalayan peaks and ancient Sufi shrines as its backdrop.

“It is a concert for peace in the region,” Prasad Rao, whose non-governmental South Asia Foundation (SAF) is organising the event, told Reuters.

“We are expecting 5,000 to 10,000 people and this is going to be a mega-event,” he said, adding that President Pratibha Patil, scheduled to start a three-day tour to Kashmir on Friday, is expected to attend.

DREAM COME TRUE

Junoon, which means obsession in Urdu, belts out rock tunes inspired by Sufism, a mystic branch of Islam, and social issues.

Singer Salman Ahmed said performing in Srinagar has always been one of the band’s goals.

“It was 10 years ago, May 1998, when I first went to India. We performed all over South India, north India. There I said, ‘I’d love to go to Srinagar.’ The common perception … was that not in our lifetime we would be able to perform there,” he told Reuters.

“Although Pakistan and India are sovereign countries, we have to look at this region as South Asia. And for South Asia to prosper, we need peace,” he said from Karachi.

“So I think it’s long overdue that we keep building these confidence building measures. And I think Junoon’s performance is a very significant confidence building measure,” he added.

The concert comes days after India and Pakistan, which have fought wars over Kashmir and still dispute its status, said they had put their flagging peace process back on track.

Scenic Kashmir, South Asia’s Sufi heartland, has been blighted by years of violence, and its easy-going society suppressed by a ban on entertainment by separatist Muslim guerrillas. Officials say tens of thousands of Kashmiris have been killed or gone missing since the insurgency began in 1989.

But the militants’ influence over daily life is now waning – traditional theater and music are being revived and alcohol is becoming more readily available in the valley.

“Something great is happening to Kashmir after a pretty long time,” said Arshi Gouse, a 20-year-old student.

“I am sure Sufi rock band, Junoon, will love to perform in Sufi Kashmir … we will rock,” he added.

Few, and mainly little-known, Pakistani musicians have performed in Kashmir after India and Pakistan started their peace process in 2004. Violence, involving separatist militants and Indian troops, has declined since then.

“I hope the performance of Junoon in Kashmir will pave the way for expressing the emotions and love and friendship in the region,” said Amit Wanchoo, 29-year-old lyricist and leader of “Immersion,” Kashmir’s first and only five-member rock band.

“Most of the issues in this world lack expression and nothing better than music can express them without hurting any one.”

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Spock do you ever read www.antiwar.com?

Great collection of articles and anlysis on that website. I am just surprised they haven’t reported on this concert, but that could be because they are not considered “mainstream”.

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Moonshiner, I dont, here is the india section, seems a little outdated.

Im sure it’ll be up soon, this event got alot of coverage from media.

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And the Indian media pretty universally reported that attendance was “nearly 4,000:”
http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/3550
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=7c8b676b-dec0-4c12-96ca-590766e232e9&&Headline=Junoon+frenzy+grips+the+Valley
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/009200805252183.htm
http://www.ndtvmusic.com/story.asp?id=ENTEN20080051005

Of course they all fail to mention the fact that the organizers were expecting 10,000.

As for the matter of the boycott…Pundit Vikram was insisting that Hurriyat had called for a strike the day of the concert, and had therefore failed. In reality, the Hurriyat strike was the day before, and quite successful. The concert itself was condemned by two different groups…Hizbul Mujahideen, who said that while they had no problem with Junoon, they didn’t approve of the circumstances under which the concert was taking place …and a student union at Kashmir University, which urged students to boycott after the university started pressuring students to attend in order to give an air of ‘normalcy’ to the president’s visit:


http://etalaat.net/english/front-page/34.html
http://www.risingkashmir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3820&Itemid=55