Rock musician spearheads HIV/AIDS campaign

While the prevalence of AIDS in Pakistan is low, unless action is taken, the potential exists for the country to follow the pattern of southern Africa, where the virus is threatening to wipe out entire communities, according to the UNAIDS Country Programme Adviser, Kristan Schoultz. Speaking at the launch of the World AIDS Campaign in the capital, Islamabad, on Monday, Schoultz said Pakistan had a “very real opportunity” to act now to influence the spread of the disease in the country. Referring to Africa’s struggle to cope with AIDS, she said: “We are at the beginning of a similar epidemic, and we cannot afford that kind of devastation to take place here. We don’t have time to allow ourselves to be complacent about AIDS.” Spearheading the fight against HIV/AIDS in Pakistan is Salman Ahmad, guitarist and composer of the rock group Junoon. The musician and qualified medical doctor is a role model for thousands of young Pakistanis targeted by the UN campaign. He and his band are expected to highlight their cause with a performance in New York this month to coincide with a special session of the UN General Assembly on HIV/AIDS, as the world body reinforces its commitment to tackle the disease. With two-thirds of Pakistan’s population under the age of 25, and 69 percent of HIV carriers in Pakistan between the ages of 20 and 49, it is hoped that Ahmad’s message will be heard, even in the country’s rural communities. Acute poverty in Pakistan can further exacerbate the spread of HIV/AIDS by increasing the vulnerability of populations and limiting their access to health and social services, Schoultz said. Low literacy also meant fewer people were able to learn about preventative measures, particularly those in high-risk rural areas. Schoultz commended the government for its “forward-thinking” on HIV/AIDS, but said more effort and resources were needed from all sectors of society, including private institutions, to counter the threat of the disease. “We know that there are men and women engaging in sex-work in Pakistan, that injecting drug use exists, that many migrants travel outside of the country without their families and are engaging in acts which cause them to be at risk, and that many people are having injections where the treatments are not always safe,” Schoultz said. Women were marginalised further with a “limited ability to protect themselves in an unsafe sexual experience and with limited mobility”, she added. While official figures suggest that only 207 cases of full-blown AIDS exist in Pakistan, and almost 1,600 people HIV infected, computer estimates show that the actual figure is closer to 70,000 to 80,000 people carrying the disease. “This is no longer a numbers game,” said Dr Birjees Mazher Kazi, National AIDS Programme Manager. “One AIDS case is an epidemic,” he stressed. Meanwhile, as lead musician in Pakistan’s most popular rock group, Ahmad will be using music to engage young people: “HIV/AIDS can only be stopped by personal choice. I will be campaigning through music, concerts, meetings with the press and any other forums available.” Ahmad said he accepted the offer to lead the campaign due to his belief that art should educate as well as entertain, and, as a doctor, the assignment was close to his heart. His face will be seen in a poster-campaign launched on Monday with the words: “I care...do you?”, as well as a brochure in both English and Urdu. On a global level, Ahmad will be supported by other high profile ambassadors including Hollywood actor Danny Glover, Latin pop-singer Ricky Martin, footballer Ronaldo and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in the fight against AIDS, which has already killed 22 million people worldwide.