News
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
‘Pakistan needs to curtail defence budget’
* Seminar speakers react to government’s allocation of additional Rs 50 billion for defence in fiscal year 2012-13
Staff Report
LAHORE: People are living under worst conditions in Pakistan due to state’s negligence, but expenditures of the country’s ruling elite and army are increasing day by day.
These were views expressed by speakers at a seminar, organised by the South Asia Partnership, Pakistan, at the Lahore Press Club on Tuesday. The seminar was organised to observe ‘Global Day of Action Against Military Spending’.
Dr AH Nayyer, Prof Pervez Amir Ali Hoodbhoy, Working Women Organisation Director Rubeena Jamil, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Secretary-General IA Rehman and Strengthening Participatory Organisation Regional Director Salman Abid spoke on the occasion. Theme of the seminar was ‘From a Defence State to a Welfare State: Analysis of Defence Expenditures of Pakistan’. People from all walks of life, including economists, intellectuals and members of civil society organisations took part in the seminar.
Speakers demanded that the government curtail defence and non-development expenditures to provide health, education and other basic necessities to Pakistanis. They expressed their deep concern over the pathetic situation of people who were starving due to poverty and deprivation of basic human rights.
Speakers reacted to the government’s allocation of additional Rs 50 billion for the defence budget in fiscal year 2012-13.
“We do not want a defence state,” they expressed.
Dr Nayyer and Prof Hoodbhoy spoke on ‘Budget, Defence Expenditures and International Commitments’. They told the audience that the Pakistan Army was the world’s sixth biggest army and was among top 15 armies regarding defence expenditures. They also said that the annual defence budget was Rs 500 billion as shown in documents, but it was Rs 800 billion per year. They said further Pakistan also imported arms, which cost $1 billion and was the third biggest country of the world in this regard. They regretted that the people were starving, but the government was turning a deaf ear to their sufferings.
Speaking on ‘Implications of Budget on Women and other Marginalised People’, Rubeena said that skyrocketing prices and poverty affected women the most, because their needs and issues were not being addressed at domestic, social and state levels.
Rehman shared his views on ‘Importance and Priorities of Pro-people Budget’. He said Pakistan was 145th amongst the 187 countries according to the Human Development Index, and was poorest of the poor, as compared to many South African countries.
He said, “As a nation we have to eliminate our deprivations. Our demand is to cut defence budget and to spend more on development sectors and to eradicate poverty and starvation from Pakistan. And this should be our slogan during the upcoming elections. We should set our national priorities as soon as possible, otherwise it will be very late and our existence will be in danger. We can’t avoid it anymore that our defence budget must be curtailed to less than 1 percent of total GNP and funds should be spend on health, education and economic development of the people.” Abid delivered his speech on ‘Budget Making and People’s Expectations’. He said, “In view of economists the upper most limit of defence expenditures is 3 percent of total GNP and it has swallowed our country. We have been spending less than 1 percent of our budget on health and education and people are deprived of all basic needs of life.”
Dr Akmal Hussain, Awami Jamhori Forum President Professor Jamil Omer, Executive Director Muhammad Tahseen and South Asia Partnership Pakistan Deputy Director Irfan Mufti also spoke on the occasion.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk