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Concern over hike in defence outlay

B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD: The former Pakistan Prime Minister and chief of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Benazir Bhutto has expressed concern over the proposed increase of Pak Rs. 61 billion ($1 fetches Rs. 59.50 Pak rupees) for military expenditure. In a statement issued here on Saturday Mrs. Bhutto quoted press reports about the proposed additional money sought by Pakistan military and said that it was illogical to make such gigantic demands at a time when people were committing suicides due to grinding poverty. "It is bad governance that on the one hand Islamabad was going with a begging bowl to borrow more money and increase the debt burden on the common man and on the other hand was extravagantly spending hard earned resources of Pakistan on military expenditure at a time when tension with India had eased", Mrs. Bhutto said. The statement said the PPP has called upon the regime to defer military expenditures, such as purchase of billion dollar planes and building a second GHQ and instead use the monies for earthquake rehabilitation. It was the sound and logical way to protect the interests of the common man as well as to make the country self reliant, she said. the military expenditure was budgeted at 193 billion rupees and was tersely explained in half a line: "to defray salary and other expenses". The current year's military expenditure was budgeted at Rs 223 billion excluding military pensions which are enormous due to the early age at which personnel retire.

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