On the surface there doesn’t seem to be much of a connection between Pakistan and Elon University, but one thread that unites the two is former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Bhutto was assassinated Dec. 27, 2007, in a suicide bomb attack after returning to Pakistan two months earlier after she was granted amnesty from corruption charges. Bhutto had become the first female prime minister of a largely Muslim nation at age 35, as well as the youngest head of state in the world at the time. She served two terms as prime minister, from 1988-1990 and 1993-1996.

Bhutto spoke at Elon’s fall convocation in 2002 and spent the day on campus, during which time she met extensively with President Leo Lambert.

“She was a guest in our home [Maynard House],” Lambert said. “I can remember welcoming her with a cup of tea in our sun room, talking about our respective families. She was a very elegant speaker and spoke very poignantly about her family. I have often thought how people, no matter what their station in life, all share similar human concerns.”

Lambert was thrilled that Bhutto accepted the school’s invitation to come and speak.

“She was a very gracious guest and it was an honor to have her at Elon University if only for a short time,” Lambert said.

Bhutto’s visit was part of the Globalization Symposium in which she dedicated the Isabella Cannon Center for International Studies and held a question-and-answer session and a press conference in the McEwen Communications Building.

Janna Anderson, assistant professor of communications, was at the press conference and briefly met Bhutto.

“Few local media organizations thought she was newsworthy enough to cover at the time, and most of the questions were asked by my students,” Anderson said. “It seemed as if we were getting an exclusive Q&A session just for my class. She was a commanding figure, she was a true leader and she connected with people because she had an air of authority combined with an aura of approachability.”

Anderson said she thought Bhutto’s presence itself was inspiring.

“She was iconic, representing an educated voice of reason reinforcing the Western ideal that democracy can and will be embraced by people in countries where there is a struggle,” Anderson said. “She was a strong woman, she was incredibly bold and that was inspiring whether you agreed with her ideas or not.”

Bhutto had lived in self-imposed exile since 1998, when there was a military coup in Pakistan. While in exile she lived in London and Dubai and gave numerous speeches about the value of democracy, while trying to gain political support. On Oct. 18, 2007, despite the possible danger to her life, she returned to Pakistan.

“I think everybody who saw her go back to Pakistan knew that (her death) was a possibility because of the danger, but it was still a terrible shock,” Lambert said.

Even though the danger was evident, people were still stunned by her death.

“I had heard the news from a reporter who called me just after it happened,” Lambert said. “It was certainly a shock.”

“I was nearly brought to tears when I saw the words Bhutto assassinated on the screen on CNN,” Anderson said.

Bhutto’s speech, titled “Democracy: The Never Ending Battle,” left a lasting impression on most of the audience.

Among those in the crowd was Erin Cunningham, a 2004 graduate, who covered the speech for The Pendulum in 2002.

“Anytime you have seen someone, their death makes you take pause,” Cunningham said. “She spoke about the spread of democracy, the importance of democracy and continuing to fight for democracy,” Cunningham said.

The timing of the former Prime Minister’s speech also provided for some reflection, since it was a year after the Sept. 11, 2001

“The messages were important for our students to hear,” Lambert said. “She did not want people to judge the Muslim world for these acts of terror.”

Nancy Midgette, associate provost, also recalled her powerful speech.

“She could identify with the United States having experienced such an attack,” said Midgette. “She was able to understand how people felt so vulnerable. I remember thinking at the time of her speech that it was sad someone had to leave their home country because there were safety issues involved.”

Cunningham noted the take-home message for everyone at Bhutto’s speech.

“Don’t accept the way things are and that there is nothing you can do to change them,” Cunningham said.

When a world leader dies, their loss is felt around the world. After a little over 5 years since she spoke, the Elon campus has not forgotten former Prime Minister Bhutto’s and the impact of her visit.

Anderson said she thought Bhutto’s presence was inspiring.

“She was iconic, representing an educated voice of reason, reinforcing the Western ideal that democracy can and will be embraced by people in countries where there is a struggle,” Anderson said. “She was a strong woman, she was incredibly bold and that was inspiring whether you agreed with her ideas or not.”

Bhutto had lived in self-imposed exile since 1998, when there was a military coup in Pakistan. While in exile, she lived in London and Dubai and gave numerous speeches about the value of democracy, while trying to gain political support. On Oct. 18, 2007, despite the possible danger to her life, she returned to Pakistan.

“I think everybody who saw her go back to Pakistan knew that [her death] was a possibility because of the danger, but it was still a terrible shock,” Lambert said.

Even though the danger was evident, people were still stunned by her death.

“I had heard the news from a reporter who called me just after it happened,” Lambert said. “It was certainly a shock.”

“I was nearly brought to tears when I saw the words ‘Bhutto assassinated’ on the screen on CNN,” Anderson said.

Bhutto’s speech, titled “Democracy: The Never Ending Battle,” left a lasting impression on most of the audience.

Among those in the crowd was Erin Cunningham, a 2004 graduate, who covered the speech for The Pendulum in 2002.

“Anytime you have seen someone, their death makes you take pause,” Cunningham said. “She spoke about the spread of democracy, the importance of democracy and continuing to fight for democracy.”

The timing of the former Prime Minister’s speech also provided for some reflection, since it was a year after Sept. 11, 2001.

“The messages were important for our students to hear,” Lambert said. “She did not want people to judge the Muslim world for these acts of terror.”

Nancy Midgette, associate provost, also recalled her powerful speech.

“She could identify with the United States having experienced such an attack,” said Midgette. “She was able to understand how people felt so vulnerable. I remember thinking at the time of her speech that it was sad someone had to leave their home country because there were safety issues involved.”

“Don’t accept the way things are and that there is nothing you can do to change them,” Cunningham said, noting the take-home message for everyone at Bhutto’s speech.

When a world leader dies, their loss is felt around the world. After a little over 5 years since she spoke, the Elon campus has not forgotten former Prime Minister Bhutto and the impact of her visit.

Reporter: RJ Kraft - 01/16/07