Ayesha Siddiqa in the Bay Area - Feb 21, Stanford; Feb 23, Union City

FRIENDS OF SOUTH ASIA (FOSA)

working towards a peaceful, prosperous, and hate-free South Asia

Dr. AYESHA SIDDIQA AGHA in the Bay Area

TALK: "America's Pakistan vs Pakistan's Pakistan: Searching for Options"

Thursday February 21, 7.00pm
Stanford University , Bldg 380, Room 380-X
(more info)

PANEL: "Pakistan: What Now?"
Ayesha Siddiqa, with Ahmad Faruqui & Ijaz Syed

Saturday February 23, 3.00pm
Union City Library
34007 Alvarado-Niles Blvd.,
Union City, CA (map)

The events are free and open to all.
Event Flyers (html, pdf)

EVENT DETAILS

TALK: America's Pakistan vs. Pakistan's Pakistan: Searching for Options
STANFORD - Thursday Feb 21, 7.00pm
Stanford University
Bldg 380, Room 380-X

Directions: Bldg 380 is "Math Corner" of the Main Quad, to your right as you face quad from the Oval. See Map

Details: In her talk at Stanford, Ayesha Siddiqa will discuss the current scenario in Pakistan, the questionable role of the US in supporting the current regime, and the Pakistan military business interest that covers all sectors of the economy.

The event is presented by Center for South Asia, Stanford University, Division of International, Comparative and Area Studies, in association with Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, Pakistanis at Stanford and Friends of South Asia.

Also see the event webpage at the Center for South Asia website.

The book, "Military Inc." will be available for sale at the event.

PANEL: Pakistan, What Now?
UNION CITY - Saturday Feb 23, 3.00pm
Union City Library
34007 Alvarado-Niles Blvd,
Union City, CA (map)

Directions:
The Union City Library is located in the Civic Center complex, on Alvarado-Niles Road between Decoto Rd and Royal Ann Dr, across the street from James Logan High School.

The Library is accessible by BART. It is a short 0.6 mile walk from the Union City BART Station.
See walking route

Details: On Saturday, Ayesha Siddiqa, Dr. Ahmad Faruqui and Ijaz Syed will debate and discuss the current situation in Pakistan, what the Pakistani election results will mean for the country as it strives to shake off the military stranglehold, and how the upcoming US elections might influence the US policy in the region.

ABOUT AYESHA SIDDIQA

Dr. Siddiqa received her doctorate in War Studies from King's College, London. Her first book, Pakistan's Arms Procurement and Military Buildup, 1979-99 In Search of a Policy (2001) analyzes defense decision-making in Pakistan. Her second book, Military Inc, Inside Pakistan's Military Economy (2007) looks at Pakistan's politics through the prism of elite interests and the military economy. She writes for various Pakistani newspapers including a regular column in the Daily Times. She contributes to international academic journals and has been a correspondent for Jane's Defence Weekly. Dr. Siddiqa was a visiting fellow at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute; the first Pakistani scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC, 2004-05; a Ford Fellow; and a research fellow at the Cooperative Monitoring Center, Sandia National Laboratories, USA. She received the esteemed Mehboobul Haq, Kodikara and Asia Foundation research awards. Based in Islamabad, Dr. Siddiqa is currently Visiting Professor of South Asian Studies at University of Pennsylvania. She is researching the political economy of marginality and extremism in Pakistan for her third book, Military, State and Society in South Asia: Looking Beyond Huntington.

About The Panelists

Dr. Ahmad Faruqui is a defense analyst and economist. He is a frequent contributor to the Lahore-based Daily Times newspaper.

Ijaz Syed is a long-time activist and a founding member of Friends of South Asia.

THE BOOK - "MILITARY INC. "

Military Inc.: Inside Pakistan's Military Economy (published April 2007) is a groundbreaking work on the far-reaching economic interests of the Pakistan army. The book came out at a time when the military regime in Pakistan led by General Pervez Musharraf is facing serious trouble both at home and abroad. The country-wide protests and demonstration to challenge Musharraf's decision to fire the Pakistan Supreme Court Chief Justice, the violent handling by the government of the Lal Masjid crisis in the nation's capital, the insurgency raging in Baluchistan and in the northern tribal areas bordering Afghanistan coupled with the on-going debate in the US questioning the role of Musharaf military regime as a frontline ally in US war against global terrorism has put the Pakistani military leadership in a tight spot. The New York Times, Washington Post and the Los Angles Times have all criticized the Bush administration for its unconditional support of Pakistan’s military dictator.

According to the Center for Public Integrity, “In the three years after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, U.S. military aid to Pakistan soared to $4.2 billion, compared to $9.1 million in the three years before the attacks - a 45,000 percent increase - boosting Pakistan to the top tier of countries receiving this type of funding. More than half of the new money was provided through a post-9/11 Defense Department program - Coalition Support Funds – CFS - not closely tracked by Congress.” Another study done by The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates the total value of all American aid, including military, economic, and development assistance, to Pakistan since 9/11 at more than $10 billion. In the three-month period from April to June in 2003 alone, U.S. taxpayers reimbursed Pakistan $192.7 million. Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa's book is an analysis of the range and depth of the Pakistan military business interest that covers all sectors of the economy: Agriculture, Manufacturing, and Services. “My book” said Dr. Siddiqa, “was not just on the military, but Pakistan's entire power elite."