Islamabad: Pakistan government`s total outlay
for the military for fiscal 2011-12 is over Rs 718 billion,
considerably higher than the defence budget of Rs 495 billion
shown in budget documents.
In addition to the defence budget, the Finance Ministry
has allocated Rs 80 billion under the Armed Forces Development
Programme, Rs 50 billion under reimbursements from the US
Coalition Support Fund for expenses on the war on terror and
Rs 20 billion received for participation of the armed forces
in UN peacekeeping missions.
Over and above these allocations, another Rs 73.2 billion
will be paid as military pensions from civilian accounts, a
practice started in 2000 by ex-military ruler Pervez Musharraf
to give the impression that Pakistan had slashed its defence
spending.
A senior official of the Finance Ministry outlined the
actual outlay for the military while interacting with a group
of journalists yesterday, media reports said today.
The stated budget, additional allocations and military
pensions amount to almost 26 per cent of the total budget.
The additional allocations are reflected in budget
documents as "grants" under the heading of "contingent
liabilities."
The additional allocation of Rs 150 billion for 2011-12
is Rs 8.4 billion or almost six per cent more than the similar
outlay for the outgoing fiscal.
In the outgoing fiscal, the government allocated Rs 110
billion for contingent liabilities but actually spent Rs 141.7
billion, according to budget documents.
The stated defence budget for the outgoing fiscal was Rs
442 billion.
PTI
