The latest lot of wannabe concert arrangers held a press briefing on Wednesday where though they claimed that the show would be dedicated to peace. They conceded, nevertheless, that it would be a commercial venture.

Junoon, Haroon, Fuzon, Noori, Mizraab and Anaida have all been lined up to hold such a concert on Saturday. Also included are a couple of odd numbers from the UK.

During the post-briefing Q&A, Ali Azmat of Junoon "requested" members of the media, both print and electronic, to write for the benefit of those who were working for such a grand event.

"Through this show we will once again try to voice our grievances against war and tyranny. I ask all the people to help us in our cause by coming to the show. Through such events we want to present a brighter side of Pakistan and show the world that we do not believe in terrorism and are, as we have always been, against fighting. We are doing all of this in good faith."

It was ironic that Ali said all of this was "in good faith." Asked if the concert was commercial, he and his pals said, "It is."

"Commercial or not, it is still an attempt to promote peace." Asked the difference between this concert and the ones that have performed in, minus the peace, there was no reply.

Earlier, in separate statements, Shalym of Fuzon, Ali Azmat and Brian O’Connell of Junoon, Haroon, Mizraab and Aniada said that they condemn war and hoped that their voice will be one which will change the world.

Brian said music and love had no boundaries. "Peace has no boundaries and our message is of peace. We want to build bridges, not walls. We want that the people of Karachi show their support for this concert."

Haroon said that the concert was being held to condemn the number of lives that "have been destroyed by this senseless war."

However, all peace was destroyed in the room when Anaida, who is half Greek and half Iranian, but has an Indian passport, walked in, dressed in a silken T-shirt and trousers. Cameramen romped around her trying to get the best shot. That done, it was the people from the press who grilled her later on.

Later, replying to a question, Ali said that the press was under the misconception that the organizers earned a lot of money by hosting such events. "It’s not like that. These people make, like, hundreds of thousands. They earn a miniscule amount part of which is spent on the expenses."

A colleague at the briefing said Ali was wrong. "Only last week Junoon performed along with Fuzon, Entity Paradigm (EP) and Noori. The ticket only for that function was worth Rs 500. Five thousand people attended the show. Do the math and the person in charge there earned less than Rs 2,500,000? Then, there were the sponsors and the stalls which also paid to be part of the show. At most the organizer ends up spending Rs 500,000 for all the expenses, including paying his staff and the rent for the venue. There is no way they bathe in hundreds and thousands after a hit show like that one."

Another reason why the concert was being held was because, according to the Junoon management, April 19th is the day Ali Azmat was born