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Pakistan's political pop
stars
Pakistani rock group Junoon - once banned by the government from appearing on
television, and later even from entering the country - can now boast President
Pervez Musharraf as a fan.
But although General Musharraf attended their latest tour, the band have
insisted they remain as committed to their often-controversial political message
as ever and have not become part of the country's establishment.
Junoon are famed for publicly raising views on issues that many in Pakistan
would rather be kept quiet, such as HIV/Aids, the Kashmir dispute, and
corruption. They dismissed General Musharraf's attendance at their gig as little
more than a stunt.
"The establishment has joined us," guitarist Salvan Ahmend told BBC World
Service's The Ticket programme.
"What it says is pop culture drives politics, so strongly, anywhere in the world
right now," vocalist Ali Azmat added.
Aids Mission
Junoon are the biggest-selling group in all Asia and have a massive fan base
among the young in the subcontinent.
Their high-profile status led, two years ago, to them becoming goodwill
ambassadors for the UN on the issue of HIV/Aids.
Ahmend, who attended medical college before quitting to join the band, said that
Junoon's high-profile status conferred special duties on the band.
"People don't want to talk about safe sex - they don't want to talk about sex to
begin with," he said.
Pop culture drives politics, so strongly, anywhere in the world right now
Ali Azmat
"It's something uncool enough for me to do to be honest and say: 'Look, you have
to take responsibility. You can't be in denial, you can't be looking the other
way.'
"Each day 25,000 people get infected by HIV/Aids in India alone. In Pakistan we
don't even know the figures."
Ahmend added that he felt the youth of the region were being suppressed by the
older generation, which he said lacked direction.
"It's really interesting on the subcontinent as far as youth is concerned
because 50% of the people are aged under 25. They're really open to being in the
mainstream of society, to be modern yet hold on to their traditions," he said.
"But the generation to which Musharraf himself belongs to, I think let down this
country. They didn't know where to steer it."
Mantle
Junoon have constantly been a thorn in the side of Pakistan's ruling
authorities.
In the early 1990s a law was passed - aimed directly at the band - banning
"jeans and jackets" from appearing on television.
"A lot of it had to do with politics because we are very outspoken, and we
criticised government corruption through a video for a song called
Accountability," Azmat explained.
"[Former prime minister] Nawaz Sharif found that too hard to swallow, so he
banned us."
Ahmend added that Junoon's effect had scared the authorities into taking action
against them - first establishing them as the voice of Pakistan's suppressed
youth, a mantle they have held ever since.
"The reason for it was that before it happened there wasn't really a youth
culture, and all of a sudden in the early 1990s there's a platform appearing,"
he said.
"It's a youth platform and people say whatever the hell they want to say, and it
shakes the status quo.
"They don't like that, so they said 'these guys are changing things around,
let's watch out for them'."
© BBC MMIII
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