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Students of Trinity University and the public could have a better understanding of Pakistan and the country's political relations with the U.S. after ex-Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf lectures at the school Thursday, Sept. 17.

Musharraf will visit as part of the university's Distinguished Lecture Series to be held in Laurie Auditorium.

In 1999, then-Gen. Musharraf gained power in Pakistan in a military coup.

After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States, Musharraf became an ally of the U.S. in its war on terrorism.

In 2007, Musharraf's political power began to crumble when he attempted to dismiss the chief justice of Pakistan's Supreme Court, triggering massive protests. Musharraf declared a state of emergency, citing growing terrorism in the country, because he feared the court would invalidate his re-election.

The return of other politically powerful figures — Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif — to Pakistan and Bhutto's subsequent assassination caused opinion to further turn against Musharraf during the 2008 elections. Musharraf then resigned and moved to London.

Trinity students Isaac Medina IV and Sidra Qureshi offered their perspectives on Musharraf's visit. Medina is a 23-year-old senior, originally from Mexico, who is double-majoring in international affairs and Chinese. Medina will introduce Musharraf at the lecture. Qureshi is the 21-year-old president of Trinity Diversity Connection. A 21-year-old biology senior, Qureshi is a U.S. citizen who was born and raised in Saudi Arabia and is ethnically Pakistani.

What are some common misconceptions about Pakistan?

Medina: I think the most important misunderstanding of Pakistan that I've run into is that people believe Pakistan is an Arab country and that they speak Arabic because, sadly, people tend to lump Muslim and Arab together (the two official languages in Pakistan are Urdu and English). That is not the case for Pakistan and many other Muslim-majority countries. The other problem is that people are not entirely sure of what role Pakistan plays in the war (on terror) mostly because a lot of the killings and conflicts that take place actually happen within Pakistan. Remember, they are our allies in this conflict.

Qureshi: I guess one of the misconceptions would be the fact that Pakistan is backward in any way. It is a third-world country, but whenever I visited Pakistan, I always went to Karachi, which is the largest city in Pakistan. All the people there are very familiar and in touch with Western culture. It's not hard to find the technology there, the movies there. One thing that I really appreciate about Pakistani culture is that it's just so rich and vibrant. People are very Pakistan-proud. The traditions, I really enjoy as well. We have week-long weddings everyone really enjoys where people are out all night and laugh until 2 in the morning. ... I wish that people would see that just because it's different doesn't mean it's not as good as the United States.

What do you hope to get out of the speech?

Medina: During the question-and-answer period, I'm really hoping I can get the opportunity to ask him about the coup and about all the different incidents that happened between the National Assembly and the Supreme Court and him during his government.

Qureshi: I just want to see what he has to say to this audience. How will he present his role? How will he describe what he does on a daily basis? ... Most people don't know what it's like to be president of a country that was so involved in the war with terror. It's just such a unique job that he had. I just want to hear about his experience.

As a student, what does it mean that Musharraf is coming to your university?

Medina: I think it’s a great opportunity for Trinity students, especially in my field, because we can get to ask all these different questions. We can learn a lot from him. Especially in the atmosphere that we are living in today, where we have this conflict happening, (Pakistani) support in the conflict is really important strategically. So I think that’s a great opportunity to learn from the situation and maybe even make predictions as to what the outcome might be.

Qureshi: It’s very exciting. I was initially quite shocked. Trinity University, it’s a great school. I’ve always enjoyed it. But it’s not something I would expect, for former president Musharraf to be coming to Trinity. It has raised quite an uproar in the Pakistani community that I’ve heard of. Everyone I know wants to come and see him. For me, I’ll be honest, I’m not completely in touch with Pakistani politics. But just knowing he’s coming here, even though many of the students may not know who he is, it raises awareness about Pakistan.
 

What are some of the differences in college life in the U.S. and in Pakistan?

Qureshi: I have a cousin in medical school right now in Pakistan. Personal freedom is probably an issue in Pakistan right now because of the current upheaval. It's a lot harder to move about freely. If it's later at night, you should not be alone. Just common safety. When I was growing up (and visited Pakistan), it wasn't uncommon for me to hear gunshots in the night and for all the stores to be closed the next day. Everyone there doesn't consider it an issue because it's what they've always lived with. ... I know one of the reasons why I personally don't see myself permanently living in Pakistan is because I would worry for my and my family and friends' personal safety.

What about pop-culture differences?

Qureshi: Bollywood (Indian film) is popular in Pakistan. I would say there are a lot of Pakistani bands that are very popular. There’s a band called Strings and another called Junoon. ... Pakistan has a Lollywood in Lahore and it’s just like Bollywood, movies with a lot of singing and dancing randomly in there. I’m not going to lie, I don’t watch Pakistani movies. I watch Indian movies.

Jennifer Lloyd | 210SA Sources: The New York Times, BBC News