Junoon means obsession or passion. For South Asias biggest rock band, creating rock music that blended Urdu and Sindhi vocals with western rhythms and qawwali influences was not a challenge. The impossibility lay in creating an audience for it! And that would take time. The band struggled, was in financial straits for several years, and ate dal and rice most of that time!

The story started just after they finished high school. Working with the influences of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and especially Eddie Van Halen, the boys developed a real taste for the guitar sounds of 70s rock.

Junoons first big hit was the song, Jazba-e- Junoon. Released in the spring of 1996, the song became the Pakistan Official song of the Cricket World Cup that year. Later, in December, Junoon released Ehtesaab or accountability. And thats where the problems began.

Junoons in-your-face political satire and comment was too much for the government to turn a blind eye to. The song was banned from PTV, Pakistani State television, claiming that it would destabilise the country before the elections. Needless to say, the ban only fuelled the songs popularity.

In 1997, Junoon recorded Azadi, the album with which they would win millions of fans in India. Even though it was maybe their fifth compilation, Junoons first release of their India debut, Sayonee burned up the charts across the subcontinent, South Asia and the Middle East. It stayed at the pole position on MTV charts for over 2 months. Breaking records, Azadi went platinum in just 4 weeks!

Later that year, Junoon began their first tour of India. Their first show in Delhi itself was ominous. Mad chaos and irate fans had organisers scrambling to put together more performance dates to satisfy everyone. The rush was to continue. They shattered records for audience attendance and pure wattage. Across the length and breadth of the country, crowds of as many as 50,000 fans thronged stadiums to sing with Junoon.

In an odd twist of fate, the Indian Government began nuclear tests around the time Junoon was touring India. In interviews to BBC, ZTV and CNN, Junoon voiced their anti-nuclear-proliferation stance loud and clear. "In a region mired with poverty, destitution, with millions of starving souls living in pitiful conditions, can we afford a nuclear arms race?" Salman Ahmad asked. "Would it not be better for India and Pakistan to try and inspire each other in the areas of education, health and economic development? " Indians and Pakistanis alike were impressed by Junoons maturity.

The Pakistani governments ban on Junoon music though was prolonged. PTV refused to show the audience even clips from Junoon releases. "Your hair is too long" they told them one time. "You are offending national sensibilities," they said another time. Junoon took many accusations in the stomach. "You have blasphemed against our mystical poets," the censor board said, "you have been sacrilegious with our sacred shrines."

Their Indian tour caused things to take a slightly ugly turn. The Ministry of Culture charged Junoon with making comments in India amounting to sedition and treason. The band members denied these charges reminding people of the fact that theyd been victimised since the release of Ehtesaab because they chose to speak out against political corruption.