Ali Azmat, a renowned Pakistani singer, is coming to town Aug. 24 to rock Surrey on the occasion of Pakistan’s Independence Day.

This multidimensional artist who has been called the ‘Bono’ of Asia and has been labelled by the New York Times as Asia’s answer to Santana, is the only Pakistani musician who has performed live at the United Nations assembly promoting the music scene of Pakistan.

He has sold over 20 million albums worldwide, and was nominated for an Emmy award in 2002, putting Pakistan on the musical map.

Azmat’s first solo album, Social Circus, has exceeded the expectations of fans and silenced critics who were sceptical of his lone venture.

Azmat will perform as part of Jashan-e-Azadi 2008, an initiative of the Pakistani Youth Advisory Committee. The committee is comprised of a group of young Pakistani-Canadians who get involved in the Pakistani community.

The committee’s mandate is to preserve and promote Pakistan and its culture in British Columbia. The committee’s first initiative was organizing the Pakistani tent exhibiting Pakistani Culture and tradition at the 4th annual Canadian Islamic Cultural Expo.

Jashan-e-Azadi 2008 will also feature NAKSH, a local South Asian band, and a Cultural Show depicting the cultures and traditions of Pakistan.

The event will be held at the Bell Center for Performing Arts in Surrey starting at 6:30 p.m.

Tickets are $20, $25, $30 and $50 for VIP. For more information or to obtain tickets, contact Hamza Malik at 604.723.4090 or Waseem Javed at 604.779.7513.