Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf traced Pakistan’s evolution as a country, following its independence from the United Kingdom in 1947 to the conflicted country that it is today in a Clinton School speech Thursday.
Introduced by Clinton School alum Sophia Said [2011], Musharraf said as parts of Pakistan modernized, there emerged a “tussle between the between the enlightened urbanites and the illiterate ruralites.”
Musharraf stressed the misperceptions of Muslims can be erased once the world learns “to understand, to be patient with and to help the Muslim world.”
Musharraf discussed the period from 1979 to present day, speaking on the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan to the “period of devastation” that Pakistan dealt with after 1989 when the United States shifted its focus to strengthening ties with India.
According to Musharraf, Pakistan is a victim of the circumstances following the Soviet takeover of Afghanistan and the shift in U.S. policy. He expressed remorse over the current frayed relationship between America and Pakistan and said he is hopeful that ties between the countries can become strong once again.
Musharraf touched briefly on the freedom struggle in Kashmir as well as on the unrest amongst Muslim youth in India. He also mentioned the rising problems among Muslims in China, Mali and Yemen.
On the war in Afghanistan, Musharraf said, “The U.S. needs to clarify how they will help Afghanistan help itself.”
Pakistan can continue to be an ally of Washington, Musharraf said.
“We need to sit down, mend fences, and fight the war on terror together,” he said
Video of Musharraf’s lecture will be posted soon at www.clintonschoolspeakers.com.
This post was written by Clinton School student Veena Rangaswami (’13).