Pakistani academic presents film at US college

Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy presented his documentary “Crossing the Lines: Kashmir, India, and Pakistan” to a diverse group of about 70 undergraduates, graduates, and faculty Monday evening in the Cabot Auditorium.

The film is about the India-Pakistan conflict as it relates to issues of Kashmiri control.

History professor Ayesha Jalal described Hoodbhoy as “a household name in Pakistan because he is what you would call a public intellectual.” He is currently a visiting professor of physics at MIT.

Hoodbhoy specializes in issues of nuclear disarmament, which he considers crucial to the conflict between India and Pakistan.

Hoodbhoy first addressed positive movement in relations between the countries, as “we have seen a restoration of diplomatic [relations] this year.” He specifically cited the meeting of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf in New York last week.

But according to Hoodbhoy, his film showed “a story of people at war over borders and boundaries, driven by nationalistic and religious fervor.”