Dr. Maleeha Lodhi on “Pakistan: Beyond the Crisis State”

Pakistan  is confronted by multiple challenges of extremism, terrorism, insurgency and  issues of governance. It also faces acute economic problems and mounting  energy and water shortages, whilst recovering    from last year’s  devastating floods. At the same time it is a nuclear-armed state, the  ‘front line’ for the war in Afghanistan, and a country whose  future is vital for global security and stability. Dr  Maleeha Lodhi is the editor of a new book entitled ‘Pakistan: Beyond  the Crisis State’. It looks beyond what are often caricatures of  Pakistan and investigates the diversity and resilience of its society. How do  Pakistanis see themselves and their country's fault lines and address ways to  overcome them? To what extent do Pakistan’s people have the capacity to  transform their country into a stable modern Muslim state? Can a ‘middle  class-led coalition’ effectively reform governance?   Dr  Maleeha Lodhi is a distinguished diplomat, journalist and academic. She  served twice as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US (1993-96, 1999-2002)  and as High Commissioner to the UK (2003 – 2008). She has been the  editor of two of Pakistan’s leading national dailies, The News  and The Muslim. She taught at the London School of Economics from  where she also obtained her Ph.D. More recently, she was a Fellow at Harvard  University’s Kennedy School of Government and  a Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Centre. She is a recipient  of the Hilal-e-Imtiaz for Public Service, the second highest  civilian award of the Pakistan  government.   This  meeting will be chaired by Rahul Roy-Chaudhury, Senior Fellow for South Asia.  It will be held in the Lee Kuan Yew Conference Room at Arundel House