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August 24, 2012

Lecture on Benazir Bhutto and Pakistan Democracy, Sept. 12

Benazir Bhutto, former Prime Minister of Pakistan, remains a polarizing force in the Muslim world, even after her death from a suicide bomber’s attack on Dec. 27, 2007.

The Library will present a 90-minute lecture titled "Benazir Bhutto: Struggle for Democracy in Pakistan" at noon on Wednesday, Sept. 12, in the West Dining Room, located on the sixth floor, Room 621, of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C. Sponsored by the Asian Division, the event is free and open to the public; tickets are not required.

Bhutto (1953-2007) was a Pakistani democratic socialist who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Pakistan in two non-consecutive terms, 1988-1990 and 1993-1996. She remains a symbol of the struggle for democracy in Pakistan. She was the author of numerous works, including "Democracy: The Only Way for Pakistan: Interviews of Benazir Bhutto" and "Whither Pakistan: Dictatorship or Democracy?" Her last book, "Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy, and the West," which was published posthumously, provides a practical road map for bringing societies together.

The lecture will feature distinguished speakers Shuja Nawaz and Walter Andersen, who will discuss Bhutto’s life and political legacy. Nawaz is the director of the South Asia Center at the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C. He is a political and strategic analyst who has briefed senior government and military officials and parliamentarians in the U.S., Europe and Pakistan. A graduate of the Columbia University School of Journalism, Nawaz was a reporter and producer for Pakistan Television (1967-72) and covered the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. He has headed three divisions at the International Monetary Fund.

Andersen is the director of the South Asia Studies program at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and a senior adjunct professor of South Asia Studies. He is the former chief of the State Department’s South Asia Division in the Office of Analysis for the Near East and South Asia. He has written extensively on India, Pakistan and U.S. relations.

The Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and the largest library in the world, holds more than 151 million items in various languages, disciplines and formats. The Library seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs, publications and exhibitions. Many of the Library’s rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov. For information about the Asian Division, go to www.loc.gov/rr/asian/.

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PR 12-161
08/24/12
ISSN 0731-3527

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