A life-changing decision was made during the night of Sept. 18, 2006 in the family of a former judge of Pakistan.

Chaudhry Ali and his family decided the best option for them to survive and continue with their lives was to flee their country and come to the United States of America. Ali told his story to BYU in a Kennedy Center lecture Wednesday.

All of their belongings were left behind and all that mattered at that moment was to be together as a family, moving on to a country where there was freedom and democracy.

Terror and corruption were the main factors that influenced Ali's decision to leave his homeland. He could not live in country where people could not express themselves.

Ali said that in 1973, the Constitution of Pakistan was a well respected document. In 1985, the president started to make changes in the constitution which allowed him to assume the role of supreme commander of armed forces. He dissolved the parliament and gave himself the authority to appoint army chiefs.

Ali believes that the only way for Pakistan to become a democratic country is by removing the terrorism and having free and fair elections.

"There can be no positive move on the war on terror as long as the election of President Pervez Musharraf is set aside or validated by independent judges or the present parliament," Ali said. "The allies on the war should support democracy, rule of law and economic development."

Ali said that for Pakistan's development it is necessary for the country to receive progressive support in education, food and energy. Democracy, the settlement of immigrants and the realignment of Pakistan's civil military relationship are a few of the factors that need to be attended to properly so that the militancy in Pakistan can be controlled efficiently.

Due do economic insecurity, corruption and inequality, aggression built up among ordinary people.

"The government failed to formulate and implement policies for the economic well-being of people," Ali said. "So the country is facing economic crises."

To have a better awareness of what is happening in other countries and cultures and to better understand all these issues and concerns, Ali encourages BYU students to expand their knowledge by reading books about Pakistan and to have an increased desire to learn about it.

"Attending lectures is a great way to be exposed to ideas," said Cory Leonard, the assistant director of the Kennedy Center.

He encouraged BYU students to get out of their comfort zones and find out about the experiences of BYU students from other countries.