Islamabad: Pakistan`s is planning to buy
more fighter jets, surveillance planes and submarines and the
nation`s military has been allocated billions of rupees over
and above the defence budget for making such high-end weapon
purchases.
A part of the special funding for the defence will
also go to provide more sophisticated weapons to the military
for undertaking counter insurgency operations against Taliban
militants in the country`s restive north-west.
Islamabad last week hiked defence spending for 2010-11
to Rs 442.2 billion (USD 5.18 billion) up from Rs 342.9
billion allocated in the last fiscal.
Besides the defence budget of Rs 442.2 billion for
2010-11, the government has allocated Rs 110 billion out of
budget estimates for the Armed Forces Development Plan,
ongoing anti-militancy operations and a key defence
initiative, official sources were quoted as saying by the
Daily Times.
The aim of this initiative is to enable the military
to acquire fighter jets and surveillance aircraft, submarines
and other weapons and technology to effectively counter
external threats and terrorism.
Pakistan recently received upgraded F-16 fighter jets,
P-3C Orion maritime reconnaissance and helicopter gunships
from the US. But under new plans Islamabad wants to buy more
submarines and other weapon systems.
Last year too, the government on the insistence of the
military also provided an additional Rs 49 billion to meet the
expenses of anti-militancy operations.
But now a whopping Rs 110 billion is being provided
for military.
Media reports said, a sum of Rs 60 billion has been
reserved for the Armed Forces Development Plan, which is aimed
at equipping the armed forces with the latest technology and
weapon systems. Islamabad has been reserving funds for the
Armed Forces Development Plan for the past few years and the
average annual allocation has been about Rs 100 billion.
PTI
