Material cost: A whopping Rs8.1tr lost to terror war

Drone strikes and terrorist attacks affected 92,660 families in North & South Waziristan agencies, lawmakers informed

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan has suffered a whopping Rs8.1 trillion ($80 billion) losses over the past 10 years due to the ongoing war against terrorism. These estimated losses are more than twice the size of the country’s budget for 2014-15 which is Rs3.94 trillion.

The Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control, which collated these figures with the help of the finance ministry, claimed that more than 50,000 Pakistanis also died in this deadly war which started soon after the United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001.



“Pakistan is a victim of terrorism, sponsored by anti-state elements. Unfortunately, extremist groups have also been active with their own ideology and motives,” said the interior ministry’s parliamentary secretary, Maryam Aurangzeb.

MNAs Shaikh Salauddin and Nighat Parveen had sought details of the losses Pakistan has suffered in the war on terror. The interior ministry, however, informed the house  that it, in its initial findings, has collected data of 11,285 innocent citizens killed in terrorist attacks. More than 28,561 people were also injured in various bombings in the past five years, it added.

In its initial break-up, the ministry revealed that over 4,415 people were killed in Fata, 4,204 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 1,503 in Balochistan, 974 in Punjab, 128 in Islamabad Capital Territory, 60 in Gilgit-Baltistan and 14 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Responding to a question, posed by MNA Zahra Wadood Fatemi, the ministry informed the lawmakers that drone strikes and terrorist attacks affected 92,660 families of North Waziristan and South Waziristan agencies.



Former principal economic adviser of the finance ministry Saqib Sherani said that though there was no methodology to calculate such losses, the figures presented in the parliament seem authentic. “We would have a healthy economy, if we had not fought a war against terror for a decade,” he said.

Rather than focusing on how much losses we have suffered in this war, Pakistan could do better by introducing good governance. “War is not in our control – but yes, we can improve our GDP from 3.5% to 6%,” he said.

Another economist Kaiser Bengali said that the country incurred losses on many fronts (direct and indirect) like in war areas damaged exports and imports. Look, he said, exporters take war premiers before they invest in volatile areas like Balochistan and Fata.

He said many companies did not come to Pakistan that is why it is losing its foreign exchange for a decade. “War left severe impact on our economy, which also suffered significant losses due to ethnic clashes, sectarianism and extremism related issues,” he said. To improve its economy Pakistan has to find ways to end the war, he added.

Other issues

Maryam Aurangzeb informed the house there is currently a bar on issuance of arms licences in the federal capital, while, under the 18th amendment, the provinces have to set their own rules.

She said several policy steps have been taken for controlling and improving the law and order situation in the country.

“The government has prepared a new policy for strengthening internal security and to improve law and order,” she said.

The government also informed the house that more than 66,000 contractual employees were regularised.

Replying to a calling attention notice, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab Ahmed said a committee would also take up cases of other contractual employees of the federal government, autonomous and semi-autonomous departments soon.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 6^th, 2014.