Deciphering Pakistan and US-Pakistan Relations
September 30th – October 1st, 2011

Wesleyan University – Middletown, CT
Free Entry

The Wesleyan International Relations Association would like to invite you to its 2011 Conference, “Deciphering Pakistan and US-Pakistan Relations,” organized in collaboration with the Wesleyan Pakistan Flood Relief Initiative and Wesleyan South Asian Studies Faculty.

The conference aims to increase understanding and awareness about Pakistan from its culture to its politics. The conference will also focus on US-Pakistan relations, which have both strained and strengthened after 9/11. The conference’s speakers are among the top commentators, officials and scholars on Pakistan and US-Pakistan relations, and the event will be open to the students, faculty and the larger public.

Panelists and guest speakers include:
Shahid Javed Burki is a professional economist who has served as Finance Minister of Pakistan and as a Vice President of the World Bank. He has written extensively on economic development and on the political history of Pakistan.
Ambassador Howard B. Schaffer is a retired American Foreign Service officer who spent much of his 36-year career dealing with U.S. relations with South Asia.
Asim Khwaja is the Sumitomo-FASID Professor of International Finance and Development at the Harvard Kennedy School and the faculty chair of the MPA/ID program.
Najam Sethi is the editor-in-chief of The Friday Times, a Lahore based political weekly, and the Editor-in-Chief of Geo News. He is the only journalist from Asia to receive three international press freedom awards in a decade.
Humeira Iqtidar is currently a research fellow at the Centre of South Asian Studies and at King’s College, Cambridge University. Her research is concerned with secularisation, secularism, feminism and Islamism.
Stanley Wolpert is an American historian, biographer and novelist and also an emeritus professor of History in University of California, Los Angeles.
Najeeb Ghauri is the founder, Chairman and CEO of NetSol Technologies, Inc. Mr. Ghauri is heavily involved in political and non-governmental organizations committed to US-Pakistan relations, particularly the US-Pakistan Business Council (vice president) and the Pakistan Human Development Fund (founding board member).
Mehreen Jabbar is a noted Pakistani film-maker and television director/producer. She directed the Pakistani film “Ramchand Pakistani”, which won the Audience Award of the Fribourg International Film Festival in Switzerland.
Imran Aziz Mian, a highly popular Qawwal from Pakistan, transfers the passion of his Qawwalis to his audience in live performances.
The conference schedule is as follows:

Friday, September 30th:

4-6:30pm: Screening of Ramchand Pakistan followed by a discussion with the film’s Director Mehreen Jabbar
Free Entry

8-10pm: Imran Aziz Mian Qawwali Concert
General Public Price: $20
Student and Wesleyan Faculty Price: $15
Wesleyan Student Price: $5

Saturday, October 1st:

9:30am-12pm:  Panel discussion on Pakistan’s internal dynamics
Free Entry

12pm-1:30pm:  Lunch catered by Roti Boti, Indian/Pakistani cuisine
General Public Price: $15
Student and Wesleyan Faculty Price: $15
Wesleyan Student Price: $10

1:30pm-4pm:  Panel discussion on US-Pakistani relations
Free Entry

5pm-7pm:  Keynote Speaker Shahid Javed Burki
Free Entry

7pm-9pm: Dinner with Keynote Speaker and Panel Speakers
General Public Price: $20
Student and Wesleyan Faculty Price: $20
Wesleyan Student Price: $15

Proceeds from the conference will go to Wesleyan Pakistan Flood Relief Initiative.

To register, refer to the Registration Form. Please be aware that seats are limited.

For more details, please contact our team at wira.conf@gmail.com. If you are looking for lodging please us know, so we can provide you with information on nearby lodging facilities.

We would greatly appreciate it if you could forward this email to those who may be interested in attending this event.