Salman Ahmad of the rock group Junoon and founder of SSGWI along with his wife Samina, hosted a concert at the United Nations to raise awareness and funds for displaced refugees in the northwest Pakistani valley of Swat. As part of this special gathering, a wide variety of top bands from all over the world joined spoken word artists and community activists to shine a light on this beautiful valley and to make a plea for its troubled people.
After fleeing their homes amidst fighting between Taliban militants and government forces, the nearly three million refugees of Swat now lack basic supplies such as food,water, and medicine, and are in urgent need of humanitarian aid. UN Secretary GeneralBan Ki-Moon says Pakistan is facing a “human catastrophe” and requires $543 million toprovide for internally displaced persons.Nearly a dozen performers participated in the event, providing an eclectic mix of musicalentertainment. They included Yale Strom, who played violin alongside Salman Ahmad’sguitar and vocals. Also performing were Sussan Deyhim, a renowned Iranian composerand vocalist, Denmark hip hop group Outlandish, Gavin Rossdale of Bush, Rabbi Shergill, Samir Chatterjee, and famed British rock star Stingwho gave a heartfelt performance of his song ‘Fragile.’ Dedicated philanthropists also participated including Bobby Sager, Jeff Skoll, Dr. Naif Mutawa, Amin Hashwani ,Chris Wangro and Dr. R.K. Pachuri.
Among the speakers was the well-known author and spiritualist Deepak Chopra.”Pakistan,” he said, “Needs your love, compassion, and support. All faiths are comingtogether to bring awareness through this festival. Let’s harness our collective intelligenceand compassion. Pakistan is your well-being and the well-being of the world.”
To learn more about the Concert for Pakistan, visit www.ssgwi.com or www.unhcr.org
