OTHER NEWS
Former Pakistan leader to speak at Boe Forum

Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is the 2009 Boe Forum speaker. Musharraf's address begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, in the Elmen Center (2505 S. Grange Ave. on the Augustana campus). Musharraf served as President of Pakistan from 2001-08, and Chief Executive of Pakistan from 1999-2001.

Musharraf occupied what TIME Magazine described as "The most dangerous job in the world," playing a crucial role in the global war on terror. Musharraf survived two assassination attempts; rooted out militants in his own government; helped direct countless raids against Al Qaeda - both in his cities and in the mountains; and tracked Osama Bin Laden with technical and human intelligence. His revealing memoir, In the Line of Fire, chronicles his struggles for the security and political future of his nation, with high stakes for the world at large.

At the start of his presidency, political restructuring was one of the four areas of focus for his government. He began examining why democracy remained dysfunctional in Pakistan and addressed the core malaise. He empowered the people of Pakistan at the grassroots level through a local government system, which did not previously exist; the women of Pakistan were empowered by gaining reserve seats at every tier of the Parliament; multiple private TV channels were allowed for the first time in the history of Pakistan, and the electronic and print media began operating independently of the government.

Following the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the U.S. sought Musharraf's support to fight the Taliban. With a vision for a modern, democratic, non-fundamentalist Islamic Pakistan, Musharraf was one of America's greatest allies in helping to fight the Taliban.

In the course of his seven years at the helm in Pakistan, Musharraf traveled widely all over the world and met many prominent leaders, many of whom came to Pakistan and interacted with him. Such top-level interactions allowed him to develop a sense of the geo-strategic realities of the world and various conflict regions. It also crystallized his views and perceptions of key world issues. Musharraf articulated one such thought to bring harmony into distraught regions in the form of a "strategy of Enlightened Moderation." This captured the imagination of the West in particular, and was adopted by the Islamic World for Enlightened Moderation.

Musharraf had a vision for Pakistan and still believes that it is a nation that has all the resources, the potential and all the human capability to be transformed into a progressive, moderate, prosperous Islamic State. The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is the sixth most populous country in the world. It has the world's second largest Muslim population, with 70 percent Sunni and 30 percent Shi'a. Bordered by Afghanistan and Iran on the west, India on the east, China in the extreme northeast, and with a coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman, Pakistan is of strategic importance to the U.S.

The event is free and open to the public, though tickets are required for admission. All seating is general admission by section. Tickets may be ordered online at www.augietickets.com. Online orders will be mailed for a $3.50 handling fee or may be picked up at "will call" at no extra charge at the Center for Western Studies (2121 S. Summit Ave.) beginning Sept. 21. Tickets are available by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to The Center for Western Studies, 2001 S. Summit Ave., Augustana College, Sioux Falls, SD, 57197. Beginning Sept. 21, any remaining tickets may be obtained at the Center for Western Studies from 9 a.m. to noon and 1-4 p.m. Monday through Friday. For questions, call (605) 274-4007.

Its all-volunteer armed forces are the world's sixth largest. In 1947 Pakistan declared its independence from the British Empire and formed a Muslim state, separate from India. In 1956 it became an Islamic republic. English is its official language, and Urdu its national language. Pakistan's population, which is relatively young, is expected to increase from 174,579,000 today to 208,000,000 in 10 years. Its population is already larger than Russia's. The most urbanized nation in South Asia, Pakistan's largest city, Karachi, is home to nearly 13 million people. More than one-fifth of the world's population is located in South Asia, which includes India, the world's second most populous country and largest democracy.

The Boe Forum on Public Affairs was established by South Dakota Gov. Nils Boe and his sisters, Lois Boe Hyslop and Borghild Boe. A trust established by the Boes states: "It is the grantor's wish that as events occur and/or issues or problems arise which are of current worldwide or national concern and of broad public interest, such issues and events be discussed, reviewed and examined at the Forum by a person or persons singularly knowledgeable, preferably through personal experience, in the subject matter to be presented. The Forum shall not be conducted or used for political, partisan, or sectarian purposes."

Previous Boe Forum speakers include Colin Powell (1995), President George H.W. Bush (1995), President Mikhail Gorbachev (1996), Prime Minister John Major (1998), First Lady Barbara Bush (1998), Archbishop Desmond Tutu (1999), Jordan's Queen Noor (2001), PBS Correspondent Susan Dentzer (2003), Newt Gingrich (2003), Rudy Giuliani (2004), L. Paul Bremer (2006), Vice President Al Gore (2007), Mexico President Vicente Fox and Marta Fox (2007) and Justice Sandra Day O'Connor (2008).