crankthatskunk
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A lot of Pakistan’s defence budget may get redirected in the post-Covid era, but army isn’t going to let go. It now eyes revocation of a constitutional amendment.
AYESHA SIDDIQA 30 April, 2020 10:33 am IST
Like every crisis, Covid-19 will bring its set of challenges and opportunities. For starters, the guns-versus-butter debate may be back on the table.
With the overall size of the world economy shrinking, leaders will have to decide how much they are willing to spend on real security of citizens in the form of health and personal development versus traditional military security. How Pakistan calibrates these priorities will be telling. Despite the need for A lot of its defence budget to get redirected in the post-Covid-19 era, this will not be allowed. As it eyes the revocation of a controversial constitutional amendment that stands in the way of the military getting more resources, a recent move that everyone is watching in Pakistan is the appointment of a former ISPR official to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s media management team.
Military unlikely to rethink budget
Count it as an indirect blessing but the pandemic may just have put a brake on an incessant arms race between India and Pakistan. Although New Delhi signed arms deals during the pandemic, an aggressive military modernisation may not be possible.
This situation should not appear as a worry since the entire region finds itself in a similar situation. Pakistan, for instance, doesn’t have too many options despite getting a debt relief of US $1.38 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). These resources will mostly get diverted to Islamabad paying its burgeoning external debt of US $112 billion. Pakistan’s GDP growth rate had plummeted before the coronavirus outbreak from 5.7 per cent in FY 2017-18 to 2.4 per cent in FY 2019-20. Such figures do not seem to have made any dent in Islamabad’s security paradigm that continues to be tied to military security. In fact, soon after the outbreak, the government announced a supplementary grant of Pakistan Rs 11.48 billion for the China-Pakistan Security Force–South, Rs 468.2 million to the Special Communication Organisation, and Rs 90.45 million for the Nuclear Regulatory Authority.
However, the fact remains that according to the IMF predictions, Pakistan’s GDP growth rate will further reduce by -1.5 per cent in FY 2020-21. This means that Islamabad will have to strategise to balance its budget or divert resources to development areas. The military does not seem inclined to take the hard step of rethinking its budget. Though DG ISPR Babar Iftikhar claimed that the army would not claim the extra allowance it is paid for domestic deployment under Article 245 of the 1973 Constitution, the organisation is not about to give up more of its share. It’s certainly eyeing revocation of the 18th Amendment to the constitution, which was passed in 2010 to give greater financial autonomy to the provinces.
Notwithstanding the lack of capacity of provinces to manage money and general mismanagement, autonomy had its benefits. For example, according to a detailed study on expenditure in the health sector, all provinces had increased spending under this head.
https://theprint.in/opinion/pakistan-military-wont-take-covid-budget-cuts-hired-ex-dg-ispr/411641/
Pakistan is full of traitors, who are selling it for fistful of dollars.
Ayesha is a known for her hostilities towards the State of Pakistan.
She is exactly the same category as Hamid Mir traitor.
Since appointment of General Asim Bajwa as Special Advisor on Media and Communication, many are restless. It means that he would tighten the noose against the traitors, who had field day for years in Pakistan, spreading fake and unsubstantiated news.
The fact of the matter is 18th is a well planned conspiracy hatched by Sharifs and Dar against the State of Pakistan. Quicker this piece of Constitution goes better for Pakistan.
Pakistan federation is hamstrung by 18th. It has left it with fewer resources to take care of foreign affairs, Defence and other commitments.
While the real purpose of 18th to distribute the resources to UC level had been denied by the Provinces, who got hold of huge resources without much accountability. They have made sure that the Baldiati System cannot be established with full powers and resources.
18th has to go immediately.
AYESHA SIDDIQA 30 April, 2020 10:33 am IST
Like every crisis, Covid-19 will bring its set of challenges and opportunities. For starters, the guns-versus-butter debate may be back on the table.
With the overall size of the world economy shrinking, leaders will have to decide how much they are willing to spend on real security of citizens in the form of health and personal development versus traditional military security. How Pakistan calibrates these priorities will be telling. Despite the need for A lot of its defence budget to get redirected in the post-Covid-19 era, this will not be allowed. As it eyes the revocation of a controversial constitutional amendment that stands in the way of the military getting more resources, a recent move that everyone is watching in Pakistan is the appointment of a former ISPR official to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s media management team.
Military unlikely to rethink budget
Count it as an indirect blessing but the pandemic may just have put a brake on an incessant arms race between India and Pakistan. Although New Delhi signed arms deals during the pandemic, an aggressive military modernisation may not be possible.
This situation should not appear as a worry since the entire region finds itself in a similar situation. Pakistan, for instance, doesn’t have too many options despite getting a debt relief of US $1.38 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). These resources will mostly get diverted to Islamabad paying its burgeoning external debt of US $112 billion. Pakistan’s GDP growth rate had plummeted before the coronavirus outbreak from 5.7 per cent in FY 2017-18 to 2.4 per cent in FY 2019-20. Such figures do not seem to have made any dent in Islamabad’s security paradigm that continues to be tied to military security. In fact, soon after the outbreak, the government announced a supplementary grant of Pakistan Rs 11.48 billion for the China-Pakistan Security Force–South, Rs 468.2 million to the Special Communication Organisation, and Rs 90.45 million for the Nuclear Regulatory Authority.
However, the fact remains that according to the IMF predictions, Pakistan’s GDP growth rate will further reduce by -1.5 per cent in FY 2020-21. This means that Islamabad will have to strategise to balance its budget or divert resources to development areas. The military does not seem inclined to take the hard step of rethinking its budget. Though DG ISPR Babar Iftikhar claimed that the army would not claim the extra allowance it is paid for domestic deployment under Article 245 of the 1973 Constitution, the organisation is not about to give up more of its share. It’s certainly eyeing revocation of the 18th Amendment to the constitution, which was passed in 2010 to give greater financial autonomy to the provinces.
Notwithstanding the lack of capacity of provinces to manage money and general mismanagement, autonomy had its benefits. For example, according to a detailed study on expenditure in the health sector, all provinces had increased spending under this head.
https://theprint.in/opinion/pakistan-military-wont-take-covid-budget-cuts-hired-ex-dg-ispr/411641/
Pakistan is full of traitors, who are selling it for fistful of dollars.
Ayesha is a known for her hostilities towards the State of Pakistan.
She is exactly the same category as Hamid Mir traitor.
Since appointment of General Asim Bajwa as Special Advisor on Media and Communication, many are restless. It means that he would tighten the noose against the traitors, who had field day for years in Pakistan, spreading fake and unsubstantiated news.
The fact of the matter is 18th is a well planned conspiracy hatched by Sharifs and Dar against the State of Pakistan. Quicker this piece of Constitution goes better for Pakistan.
Pakistan federation is hamstrung by 18th. It has left it with fewer resources to take care of foreign affairs, Defence and other commitments.
While the real purpose of 18th to distribute the resources to UC level had been denied by the Provinces, who got hold of huge resources without much accountability. They have made sure that the Baldiati System cannot be established with full powers and resources.
18th has to go immediately.
