tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287793560843140065.post4495682331506069075..comments2023-12-19T10:55:44.766+05:00Comments on THE TERRORLAND - Habib Sulemani Blog: Pakistan has become an uncontrollable conglomerate of generalsTHE TERRORLANDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10544711552734475750noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287793560843140065.post-47556375541493665572011-03-20T11:30:50.766+05:002011-03-20T11:30:50.766+05:00Of Sacred Cows and other conspiracy theories - Naj...Of Sacred Cows and other conspiracy theories - Najam Sethi’s TFT E d i t o r i a l (2)<br /><br />(6) He says: “Several agencies from some enemy countries have been working to drive a wedge between the army and public… Anti-Pakistan elements are trying to establish that the army is a burden on national development”. Nonsense. There are no buyers for such vilification campaigns against well meaning and patriotic critics.<br /><br />(7) He says: “An analysis of the budget would reveal that the defence budget has decreased ratio-wise. At present, the ratio of defence budget is 14 percent of the national budget”. But this is a misleading figure. The national budget comprises bank borrowing, foreign loans and grants etc and is always in deficit. Look at more revealing statistics. This year, the tax base is about Rs 1600 billion. Out of that the army will get about Rs 800 billion, or nearly half. Of course, if the tax base could be doubled, the army’s slice would diminish to 25%, which is manageable. But until that happens, the army cannot be exempted from some belt-tightening, regardless of the visible and invisible insurgencies it is fighting.<br /><br />(8) He says: “Pakistan is allocating only $4 billion for defence whereas India’s defence budget is $36 billion. Before designing our preparedness we have to see how strong our enemy is and what is its capability.” The first part of the statement is correct but the second doesn’t logically follow from it. It is true that India’s defense budget has increased by 40 per cent in the last two years, making India the biggest importer of arms in the world. But India’s economy has been growing at about 6.5 per cent per annum over the last twenty years and its Tax:GDP ratio is about 17 per cent, enabling it to spend more on defense. In comparison, Pakistan’s average growth rate has been about 3 per cent in the last twenty years and its Tax:GDP ratio is 9 per cent. By this yardstick – GDP growth and Tax;GDP ratio – Pakistan’s defense budget should be no more than $1 bn. The second part – about the “enemy’s capability” – is even less defensible, especially if its enemy status is in doubt. Indeed, that is a recipe for an unsustainable arms race that will cripple Pakistan in view of its political and economic dysfunctionality, – much like the Cold War did to the USSR. Without a prosperous and stable country, what use is a bloated army? <br /><br />http://www.thefridaytimes.com/18032011/page1.shtmlRehman Pakistaninoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287793560843140065.post-65930161421493112702011-03-20T11:29:30.215+05:002011-03-20T11:29:30.215+05:00Of Sacred Cows and other conspiracy theories - Naj...Of Sacred Cows and other conspiracy theories - Najam Sethi’s TFT E d i t o r i a l (1)<br /><br />The DG-ISPR, Maj Gen Athar Abbas, has provoked a debate about the size and significance of the defense budget in the context of “national security”. His statement makes several points that cannot go unchallenged.<br /><br />(1) He says: “The use of funds in civilian departments should be streamlined instead of criticising the defence budget”. He’s right, of course, about the accountability of the civilians and how they are given to overspending, misspending and stealing public money. But that doesn’t mean that civilians have no right to criticise the army’s spending habits. Armies all over the world are big gulpers and some of the biggest commission and kickback scams in history are related to arms purchases.<br /><br />(2) He says: “The Army performs its duties as per government policy… the government determines the size of the Army”. Formally, of course, he is right since the army is an organ of the state that is represented by a duly elected parliament and government. But in practise, as everyone knows, the Pakistan army remains a state above a state and takes its orders from its army chief and not the prime minister or president or parliament or cabinet of Pakistan. GHQ determines its own financial needs and insists that its definition of national security along with its political and financial imperatives must prevail.<br /><br />(3) He says: “The army has to prepare itself according to the defence capabilities of the enemy”. True. But two questions arise: Who is the “enemy”? What is the difference between an arms race and minimal optimal defense? Presumably, the “enemy” is still India. But this doesn’t wash any more like it did after partition. The PPP, PMLN, MQM, ANP, and even the JUI – in other words, all those who represent the people of Pakistan – don’t think it serves any purpose any longer to continue thinking of India as ‘the enemy”, especially if the economic welfare of the people has to be sacrificed at the altar of military confrontation with India when the Kashmiris have announced their opposition to join Pakistan or remain within India.<br /><br />(4) He says: “No army in the world can disclose its development budget to the public”. But development budgets of all armies in democratic countries are subject to detailed scrutiny and overview by select committees of parliament, sometimes in-camera. The problem in Pakistan is that GHQ is so contemptuous of elected representatives that it is loth to allow them to examine their accounts and debate their options even in-camera.<br /><br />(5) He says: “If civilian governments consider that they could diminish the perils to the country through negotiation with India, then reductions in the army could take place”. However, the record shows that whenever any PM has tried to smoke the peace pipe with India, he/she has been sacked by the army. This happened to Benazir Bhutto in 1990 and Nawaz Sharif in 1999.Rehman Pakistaninoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3287793560843140065.post-88411590211947081952011-03-15T09:11:19.796+05:002011-03-15T09:11:19.796+05:00DG ISPR decries criticism of defence budget
Mond...DG ISPR decries criticism of defence budget<br /> <br />Monday, March 14, 2011 <br /><br />ISLAMABAD: Director General Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Athar Abbas has said that the use of funds in civilian departments should be streamlined instead of criticising the defence budget.<br /><br />Talking to a private TV channel, the DG ISPR said that the Army performs its duties as per government policy. He said to determine the size of the Army is also the government’s job. The Army has to prepare itself according to the defence capabilities of the enemy. No Army in the world can disclose its development budget to the public, he said.<br /><br />“If the civilian government considers that they could diminish the perils to the country through negotiation with India, then reduction in the Army could take place,” he added. General Athar said several agencies from some enemy countries have been working to drive wedge between the Army and public. Anti-Pakistan elements are trying to establish that the Army is a burden on the national development by criticising the armed forces.<br /><br />He said under well-planned conspiracies a misleading propaganda is being unleashed about high budget of Pakistan Army. The conspirators are saying that the funds related to defence could be used for prosperity of the country.<br /><br />“Apart from all plots against the Army, I would like to say that forces always perform their duties within the framework given by the sitting government,” he added.<br /><br />He said that the budget of defence forces consists of two parts. The portion regarding maintenance funds can be discussed at every forum but the segment of the budget relating to development cannot be publicised as the enemy could get an idea about the areas where development was going to take place, so this portion is always kept secret.<br /><br />The DG ISPR was of the view that as far as facts and figures are concerned, an analysis of the budget would reveal that the defence budget has decreased ratio-wise. At present, the ratio of defence budget is 14 percent of the national budget.<br /><br />Some elements are creating the misunderstanding that defence takes away 40 percent of the total budget. He asked it has to be ascertained that the budget allocated to the civilian department was not misused.<br /><br />He said that the Army presented its report about the presence of thousands of ghost schools as well as fake teachers in Punjab. In recognition of the service rendered by the Army, it was said that the system had been corrected.<br /><br />He said Pakistan is allocating only $4 billion for defence whereas India’s defence budget is $36 billion. “Before designing our preparedness we have to see how strong our enemy is and what is its capability. We will have to see as to what kinds of weapons it is making. Keeping in view all the facts the defence budget as well as ability is increased,” Athar added.<br />http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=4597&Cat=13&dt=3/14/2011Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com