KARACHI, June 2: Dr Ayesha Siddiqa, author of the recently launched book Military Inc: Inside Pakistan’s Military Economy, has said that men calling themselves members of the “Special Branch” visited her village on Saturday to conduct inquiries about her.

Talking to Dawn, she claimed that residents of Khankah Sharif village, Bahawalpur, were asked whether they had any information on Dr Siddiqa’s political affiliations, land assets, partners or research work.

She added that questions were also asked about her family members and their whereabouts.

Dr Siddiqa expressed concern over any possible reaction over the publication of her book, which was launched in the office of a non-governmental organisation after the Islamabad Club cancelled her booking at the last minute, reportedly under the orders of an unspecified authority.

Defending her academic credentials, Dr Siddiqa said that her PhD degree is in War Studies with a concentration in Defence Management.

This is her field of academic expertise, she said, and she is trained and qualified to conduct research of the kind published in her book.

She said that she considers Military Inc, an investigation into the economy of the Pakistan military, as a sort of sequel to her first book about military decision-making in Pakistan.