Wilson Center Awards Inaugural Pakistan Scholarship

Washington, D.C.--- The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, in collaboration with the Fellowship Fund for Pakistan (FFFP), a charitable trust based in Karachi, today announced the appointment of Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa as the Wilson Center's inaugural Pakistan scholar. Dr. Siddiqa will spend nine months in residence at the Wilson Center, carrying out research and writing on a project titled "Military Inc.: The Political Economy of Militarization in Pakistan."

Dr. Siddiqa currently resides in Islamabad, where she is a visiting fellow at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute and a correspondent for Jane's Defence Weekly. She also writes a regular column for The Friday Times. Dr. Siddiqa has been a civil servant for 11 years, including a two-year stint as director of Naval Research with the Pakistan navy. The holder of a Ph.D. in War Studies from King's College, University of London, she has authored Pakistan's Arms Procurement and Military Buildup, 1979-99: In Search of a Policy, as well as numerous journal and periodical articles relating to security and defense issues.

The Pakistan Scholar program is the centerpoint of the Wilson Center's new Pakistan initiative. The fellowship competition is open to men and women from Pakistan or of Pakistani-origin. Applications are accepted from individuals in academia, business, journalism, government, law, and related professions. Applicants are expected to be pursuing research on key public policy issues facing Pakistan and designed to bridge the gap between the academic and the policymaking worlds.

The Fellowship Fund for Pakistan has been recently established to provide Pakistan's most eminent thinkers with opportunities to participate in international deliberations on current and future issues facing Pakistan through dialogue with global opinion leaders and policymakers, scholars, and other experts. FFFP seeks to promote non-partisan scholarship at international forums in order to encourage free, informed and serious dialogue on issues of public interest to Pakistan and the United States.

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars is the living, national memorial to President Wilson established by Congress in 1968 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Center establishes and maintains a neutral forum for free, open, and informed dialogue. It is a nonpartisan institution, supported by public and private funds and engaged in the study of national and world affairs.