Dinner with the President (AT)

In 1999, General Pervez Musharraf assumed power in Pakistan through military coup thwarting an Islamic takeover. Subsequently he has allowed parliament to continue functioning while he remains as Chief Executive and President of Pakistan. Over dinner with filmmakers Sabiha Sumar and Sachithenandam Sathananthan, he explains his vision of his country’s place in the world and how a military government can deliver democracy.

But can democracy really come through military rule, and why would any army be interested in democracy? In bold style, Sumar asks the people of Pakistan, ‘what does democracy mean to you?”. Tribal chiefs, rural women, teenagers, religious party leaders and the President’s mother all give their views.

"Dinner With The President" highlights the effect of an increasingly globalised world on a country’s political choices and interrogates just how deeply Musharraf’s military democracy has penetrated Pakistani society - a society where older rules for political and social life still hold sway over the daily choices of many. What can democracy deliver in this context?