Islamabad: The lead singer of Pakistan's best known rock band Junoon, who has worked closely with President Pervez Musharraf and former premier Benazir Bhutto, said both lack commitment and the political will to get any real work done.

In a post on his website, Salman Ahmed, who is best remembered for his single 'Sayonee', wrote: "On several occasions after September 11th, I was invited to General Musharraf's house in Islamabad and was surprised to see him even join me onstage in concert to help support a united national anti-extremist front.

"We (artists) had supported him for his promise of fighting extremism, bringing accountability into politics, opening up a free and independent media and reducing the immoral gap between Pakistan's rich and poor communities."

Ahmed, also known as the Bono of Pakistan, is disillusioned with Musharraf for imposing emergency, dismantling the judiciary and muzzling the media. But he sees no saviour in Bhutto.

"The queen of hypocrisy and media manipulation, she has managed to hypnotise western liberal classes with her false claims to represent progressive elements in the Muslim world. Bhutto is a charlatan and a false prophet of democracy," Ahmed wrote.

"During the late 1990s I recorded a song called 'Accountability' along with a music video that satirised Pakistani politicians like Bhutto whose corruption scandals were being reported in international publications.

He even claimed that Bhutto's  government was responsible to ban the music video and threaten his life.

Source : PTI