KARACHI: The popular Pakistani rock band Junoon on Thursday said it will add its voice to opposition to the war in Iraq in a "protest concert" in the southern city of Karachi. The performance by Junoon over the weekend will also raise money for a Pakistani welfare organisation, said Salman Ahmad, the group''s lead singer. "We are not against America. We are not against Britain. We are against the war and against the killing of innocent civilians in Iraq," said Ahmad, who is also a UN goodwill ambassador in the campaign to fight HIV/AIDS. The money will go to the Al-Shifa Trust, a private organisation that runs an eye hospital for poor patients.

Opposition to the US strike on Iraq is widespread in Pakistan. Hardline Islamic parties have mustered tens of thousands of demonstrators at rallies in the last month, accompanied by calls for a holy war against the United States and a boycott of US products. Ahmad spoke against such a boycott, saying it would only hurt Pakistan''s economy. "It''s not a solution to the problem," he said. Junoon, which means "passion" in the Urdu language, blends western rock music with traditional Urdu music, and is the only Pakistani pop group with a sizable following outside the country.