Junoon in Kashmir

Spock · Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 3:38 pm Post subject: Junoon in Kashmir

Pakistani band to play for peace in Kashmir

SRINAGAR, May 20: Pakistan’s top rock band would take part in a concert this weekend in occupied Kashmir, the biggest musical event in the disputed valley for decades, organisers said on Tuesday.

Rock band Junoon, one of South Asia’s most popular acts, will play on Sunday on the banks of Dal Lake — where Ravi Shankar taught Beatle George Harrison to play the sitar in the 1960s.

Kashmir has seen few large cultural events since 1989, when a large-scale Muslim insurgency erupted. A 2004 ceasefire between India and Pakistan, however, has brought about a sharp decline in violence.

“We have organised the concert to push peace in the region,” said Prasad Rao, whose non-governmental South Asia Foundation (Saf) is organising the event.

The concert will take place in an auditorium on the banks of the picturesque Dal Lake, situated on the edge of Srinagar.

Rao said senior state and central government ministers — possibly including Indian President Pratibha Patil — would be among the audience.

“We have also extended our invitation to President Patil. Her participation has to be cleared by her security,” Rao said.—AFP
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Logic is only the beginning of wisdom, not the end...

3yz · Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 8:22 pm Post subject:

thts very nice, keep it up junoon!!!

zerocool · Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 4:32 am Post subject:

JunaidAzim · Junoon Joined: 22 May 2008 Posts: 2

This goes back to our chat in Michigan a couple of years ago while you were there for a charity tour and suggested that Kashmir was nothing but a land dispute between two countries and Kashmiris were mute spectators to this never ending misery.

As a Kashmiri who was born in Srinagar, brought up there and lived there, that was one of the most unfortunate things one could have heard from a music icon and human rights champion such as yourself. Peace and mass-rapes, custodial killings, molestations and illegal occupation cannot be served in the same plate. We, Kashmiris, are a lot more tired of this era of hostility and bloodshed because we have been the primary victims. But we have also witnessed a holocaust of our own for the past twenty years. Music across borders cannot erase that. It might ridicule that, but never erase that.

I just want you to personally know that while you will be dancing and jeering on stage in front of the same Indian officials and barbarians in uniform who have raped our mothers and sisters and killed our teenagers, you will be doing the people of Kashmir absolutely no favors. Thank you for adding to the ridicule that we are now getting accustomed to. While you will be dancing and sining on stage, just a mile or so from your venue somebody will be going through third degree torture in one of the most darkest and bloodiest interrogation centers in Kashmir operated by the same Indian army which will barricade roads to 'welcome' you as signs of peace and reconciliation.

Political activism is a very sensitive topic amongst a people who have lost a generation to a genocide when the perpetrators of that genocide are still sitting atop their graves making arrangements for your visit and your performance in a government operated resort that again has been a center and symbol of Indian occupation in Kashmir.

Regards,
Junaid
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Junaid Azim Mattu
President
World Kashmiri Students Association

Spock · Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 7:44 am Post subject:

Junaid, what exactly do you want? I dont get it? You guys are quick to criticize Pakistanis when they demand a free independent Kashmir, and are on par to bash the Indians there. This is nothing more than a peace concert, and the artists here are performing for a peaceful cause by a NGO. Dont you want peace in the region?

JunaidAzim · Junoon Joined: 22 May 2008 Posts: 2

I never 'bashed' Paksistan. And it is a little too insensitive and brutish of you to say that we do the same with India. Watching PTV's recorded "maqbooza kashmir mein dou log jaan-ba-hak aur mazeed do zakhmi" over and over again can strip the veneer off the real issue and conceal the human sufferings of Kashmir as generic routine happenings. I would love for Janoon to be in Kashmir and perform and we would welcome it with tears and joyful hearts! There is absolutely no doubt about that. But Janoon will be performing in front of Indian government and army officials in literally an indian army camp cum hotel. How is THAT not undignified? You cannot want peace more than we do because we have been dying and we have seen mass rapes and custodial killings. So we know and value the importance of peace. But when you entertain our killers, somehow thinking that it amounts to peace, that is rubbing salt into our wounds. We don't expect that from there. That is, in all fairness, heartbreaking.

When the Indian President will arrive in Kashmir we will be observing a near-curfew strike and our roads will be ghostly and our trees will mourn. But there was an exclusive invitation sent to the same President for this show. Is the Indian president more needy of comforting sympathy and cultural support or the burnt, looted and raped people of Kashmir? That is my question.......
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Junaid Azim Mattu
President
World Kashmiri Students Association

mani 1 · Junoon Joined: 24 May 2008 Posts: 1

I agree with you Junaid .May be the intentions of performing was right but the crowd are the elite few .People who could use these kind of performances are not allowed to come close to the venue and thousand have missed work for last few days and its causing a lot misery and hardship for the local population.
I can't understand what good it does to the people except create a photo opportunity for the media showing the world all is well in Kashmir
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MANI

rsami · Junoon Joined: 24 May 2008 Posts: 0

It is great to know that Junoon is still rocking and is continuing to touch sensitive issues like world peace, freedom etc. I live in Dubai and am a Junooni since day one. It is, however unfortunate that lately Junoon is not in the lime light. There are only a couple of Pakistani TV channels that are aired in the Middle East and we face severe and tough competition from Indian channels. If it were not for Junoon.com, me and my friends had never come to know about this concert in Kashmir. We would like to see more news clippings and annoucements in media here. We need to use this medial tool at our advantage to show the world that we as Pakistanis are a modern and bright nation. All that is aired on our TV channels is negativity and demoralizing issues. For example, the Junoon performance in Nobel ceremony was never head lined on our channels. This is something we should be boasting about especially in front of our competition.

In short I would suggest, rather request Junoon's marketing team to focus on more media coverage in this region as it is a mix of cultures here and Junoon is SURELY one thing all pakistanis are proud of.

Thanks

Rehan

ishq_ka_junoon · Junoon Joined: 27 Jun 2007 Posts: 14

i ll be goin to see n i ll post da pics as soon as possibe i hope Ali is also there

ishq_ka_junoon · Junoon Joined: 27 Jun 2007 Posts: 14

JUNAID STOP ALL THIS FUSS OVER HERE WE ARE NOT HERE TO RESOLVE KASHMIR ISSUE GET A MIND ONLY TRUE JUNOONIS ARE ALLOWED

Spock · Posted: Sun May 25, 2008 12:51 pm Post subject:

gibran_wani · Junoon Joined: 28 Jun 2005 Posts: 0 Location: kashmir

Salaam
Im a kashmiri. been listening to junoon since 6th grade...nd that was 10 years ago.
u know music from junoon has always been special for kashmiris...be it junoon se aur ishq se or any other song, i always find inspiration from their songs....but now i am a bit confused....junaid azim is right...i live here, nd i know how much trouble the average kashmiri had to go through because of the indian president....nd u all are so fired up on her being invited....i was there at the concert today, nd thank God the president didnt come. I had waited for this day for a long time. having heard each cassette over a hundred times i always wanted to see salman face to face. im a junooni all right, but i need some clearifications.....how does this concert bring peace in the region??does it negate all the custodial killings?all the rapes?does it bring back all the sons this mother has lost??what peace is salman talking about?the maximum that can happen is kashmiris forgetting the attrocities being commited on them and that my friend is not what junoon stands for. that is not what Alama Iqbal stood for. all along the concert salman didnot say a word abt the lakhs that have died. this is not peace dear friend, singing on the banks of dal lake on the foot of the mountains doesnt mean peace. please dont give it the name of peace. if u gave a mother who has lost her son some peace then yes u have succeeded. but i dont think u did any such thing.

Spock · Posted: Mon May 26, 2008 2:45 am Post subject:

^ Why did you go if you were against this peace concert?
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Logic is only the beginning of wisdom, not the end...

Kashmiri Kuri · Azadi Joined: 30 Jun 2004 Posts: 1852 Location: UK

my husband told me about junoon playing in srinagar he saw it on an NDTV an indian news channel we get in the uk.

people of kashmir are probably have the least voice globally as it is put down as a internal indian matter!

Junnon playing was good but it was limited to 10,000 ppl and as said by junaid it was for the governing bodies and not the kashmiris on a whole who lost loved ones during the excessive force that has been applied over the last 20 years by the india the new major player in the world.