Democracy is the key to fighting terrorism and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's government does not protect a democratic society, according to former Pakistani judge Chaudry Ali, who spoke at Brigham Young University on Wednesday.

Ali told students that the United States needs to stop supporting its "indispensable guy of the West," Musharraf, because he is not fighting terrorism, but running the country unconstitutionally, undermining Pakistan's civil society and leading an army that refuses to fight terrorism.

"We have to undo the president's election and reinstate the judiciary," Ali said.

Musharraf ousted 60 senior judges -- including then Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry -- when he imposed a state of emergency in November 2007 to stop legal challenges to his re-election as president, according to the Associated Press.

Ali said Musharraf's military is not willing to fight the terrorists and they cannot make changes.

"The war on terror can be successfully fought to the finish by willing fighters, not by reluctant fighters," Ali said.

Students were impressed with Ali and his knowledge of the law.

"I thought it was really interesting," said BYU senior Grant Adamz.

Adamz admired Ali, who quoted President Abraham Lincoln as well as the Pakistani Constitution. Adamz said knowing the U.S. Constitution and how laws are made is "vital" for people in the United States.

Ali was forced to flee Pakistan in 2006 after he issued decisions contrary to Musharraf's agenda. He said he refused orders to reject certain candidates' nominations and to convict an anti-Musharraf newspaper editor on what Ali said were false drug charges.

"The government unleashed the drug dealers against me. They took away the protection from me. That way I was exposed to risk," Ali said.

Ali said he was the target of three or four assassination attempts. One time his servant was killed; another time a judge who had taken Ali's place because he was ill was killed.

In September 2006, Ali found out in the middle of the night that there were plans to set fire to his home, so he fled to the airport and boarded the only flight available -- one to Canada.

"I just woke up my kids and asked them to move," Ali said in an interview with the Daily Herald. "We had no plan. We had nowhere to go."

Ali got emotional as he spoke about telling his 10-year-old daughter she could take nothing with her -- not her books or her poetry.

"This is painful for me for the rest of my life," Ali said.

Still, he counts himself blessed, when many other judges have been killed or are still sitting in Pakistani jails, he said.

"Still I am lucky," Ali said.

BYU sophomore Kelli King was struck by the challenges Ali had faced.

"I wasn't aware there were so many problems in Pakistan," King said. "I think [he] is so brave to have to leave his home."

Ali has been in the United States with his family since September 2006. He is taking law classes at the University of Utah so he can practice law in the United States.

• Brittani Lusk can be reached at 344-2549 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it