After Rs73b increase defence budget for 2014-15 stands at Rs700.2b. PHOTO: FILE
Pakistan has raised its defence spending by 11.1 per cent for the coming fiscal year amid reports that the army is preparing for the final push against Taliban militants holed up in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.
Defence budget has been jacked up to Rs700.2 billion for the financial year beginning July 1, compared with Rs627.2 billion allocated in the outgoing fiscal year, showing an increase of Rs73 billion. The military had sought an increase of Rs173 billion.
Military officials defended the increase insisting that Pakistani military’s expenses are the lowest in the region given the volatile security environment.
The budget document presented before the parliament did not give a breakdown of the allocations for the three forces. But according to defence ministry officials, out of the whole defence budget, Pakistan Army gets 48% while 20% goes to air force and navy’s share is 10%.
According to the budget document, out of Rs700.2 billion, Rs293.5 billion has been allocated for employees-related expenses, Rs180.2 billion for operating expenses and Rs152.8 billion has been earmarked for physical assets.
However, the figures do not include Rs163.4 billion allocated for pensions of the servicemen that would be given from the civilian budget and a separate allocation for security-related expenses in a move which, critics say, seeks to conceal the actual defence budget.
Additionally, the military would also be given Rs165 billion under the contingent liability and Rs85 billion under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF). This means that in reality a whopping Rs1113 billion has been allocated for the military, which is about 28.2% of the country’s total budget.
Defence budget has remained a sensitive and controversial subject in the country where it has never been debated in detail in the parliament. Of late, however, there have been calls for a greater scrutiny. And Senate’s defence committee recently took the initiative to publicly discuss the military spending.
Pakistan raises its defence spending every year because of its historically uneasy relations with arch-rival India.
New Delhi earlier this year jacked up military spending by 10% for the coming fiscal year as it seeks to counter China’s rapid military buildup and its traditional rival Pakistan.
Defence analysts believe given the internal security challenges much of the increase in the defence budget by Pakistan is likely to be spent on the fight against militancy.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 4th, 2014.
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You have one of the largest and most expensive armies on the planet and you need to increase the budget to handle some militants who operate inside Pakistan? The largest military campaign you ever launches used about 5% of your capability - suggest you have a lot of capacity that is already available to be deployed - your already paying for those guys so put them to work.
Seriously Indians you think you ll just invade n nuke pakistan without reaction what so ever.....I'm really amazed in fact astonished to realize in what serious mental disorder you ppl r. For ur info 25% of our nukes r all the time in ready to use condition.25% means around 50 nukes,and let me give you a little insight about pakistan nuclear approach....We have nukes in spare so we've dedicated a few nukes to be distributed in fellow muslim countries when time comes.....guess u ppl plan on getting nuked by pakistan n later on by other fellow muslim states....no matter v ll also b destroyed but keep in mind u ll also b going down with us: )
Hey rejoice. You still have 71.8% of the budget for paying your Government's expenses, pocket money for your ministers and loan servicing and if anything is left it goes foe health and education.
"This means that in reality a whopping Rs1113 billion has been allocated for the military, which is about 28.2% of the country’s total budget."
28.2% of Pakistan's total budget to be spent on Army. What can be sadder than this...
"Military officials defended the increase insisting that Pakistani military’s expenses are the lowest in the region given the volatile security environment."
Thats funny.
As for the ignorant Pakistanis who will point at India's defence budgets, please understand: 1) India's defence budget, despite being huge, is still way smaller in terms of GDP than what Pakistan spends on its army. 2) Also, India's economy has been increasing massively (not as massively as expected, but still), whereas, Pakistan's economy is on the decline, despite the numbers showing a 4.1-4.4% "rise". Pakistan today is surviving on aids/loans from Saudi Arabia, China, US, IMF/WB/ADB..and few others. Thus, it isn't a wise decision to support the tremendous rise in defence budget of Pakistan Army, just because India increased its own defence budget. 3) India's defence spending does not affect its spending on other core issues/ development sectors like health, education, etc. On the other hand, large number of Pakistanis are illiterate because the Establishment is not concerned for their education and well-being. They prefer spending money on BMWs even if the common Pakistani might have to eat grass to survive.
What has the Pakistan's army did to deserve this level of spending? According Dr Fair, it started four wars with India and lost all of them. The best thing in my opinion is to cut the funding to the army by 50% immediately and then some later. That way the Army can go to war with India every ten years or so (which will unite the Pakistan's population) and lose them. No one will blame it. Meanwhile the money not spent can be used on Health (polio vaccination ?) and Education.
Defence spending jacked up?that means that the Kyrgistani military in occupied Indian Punjab is still eating money out of it, while the Pakistani lower classes who live in Sindh and Balochistan starves to death.Who is Pakistan fighting ?India?lol.You know right, conventionally, Pakistan wont last 36 hours in a full scale Indian invasion. Nuclear doctrine: If India notices Pakistan even "Mating" nuclear warheads to Missiles, that would result in nuclear first use, multiple strikes, wiping out the whole of Pakistan and the Arab world resulting in permanent and irrevocable Damage on the Islamic world, essentially bringing a halt to it and Pakistan will be the cause of many innocents in the Arab world pay the price for their mistakes.The best thing for Pakistan to do is complete disarmament and co-operation with India.If the Pakistanis disarm and then ask for Indian assistance, even though Moslem, India would extend some sort of helping hand, we dont have a history of attacking unarmed people, Muslims like Gaznavi have that History and Jihadis today have that history.Really, war is not the thing.Look at it this way, India has noo interest in Pakistan.Hindu Civilisation has nothing to gain by controlling rabid Arabs at our borders-just that we dont want them to step into our land,meaning, India will never take Pakistan or Bangladesh back.However, as India is a world power, maintaining a strategic force to protect trade lines are vital for India, it has nothing to do with Pakistan.Look at the logic my friends and act accordingly.
Worst news of the year. We remain thralled to the military - and the militants. As symbiotic a relationship as there ever was! Sounds cruel but then the militant monster was avoidable from Day 1 and there has been no mea culpa from the miltary so far. In any case, with the country internally in flame and its name becoming a byword for violence, what does the miltiary need an increased budget to protect against. We dont need to fear any external enemy - the enemy lies within in the form of sectarian and religious militants and fighting them does not require additional funds. Only a paradigm shift in thinking.