Federal Minister for Finance Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar visited Army General Headquarter on Saturday and discussed with the Chief of Army Staff Gen. Raheel Sharif budgetary requirements of the Pak-Army for the year 2014-15. According to a statement issued by Finance Ministry, the Finance Minister acknowledged the need to ensure fulfilment of defense requirements in the light of current security situation.
He assured the Army Chief that defence was of paramount importance to the country and hence necessary resources will be allocated at all cost. Defence sources claimed that Finance Minister''s meeting was in the backdrop of 167th Corps Commander Conference held on Friday in which a large-scale military operation in North Waziristan was discussed as an option along with its financial requirements.
Sources said that military leadership informed the Minister for Finance about financial needs in case military operation was launched against terrorists. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif reportedly anticipated that a full-scale military operation against Pakistani Taliban in the tribal areas near the Afghan border could be launched in the current month in case of ceasefire violations by insurgents.
The defence budget does not usually include procurement. It mainly consists of wages and operational cost with increase fuelled by on-going counter insurgency efforts. The main drain at the moment is the enormous operating costs involved in counter-insurgency in the west. Air strikes alone are colossally expensive, plus troop reinforcement in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas is costing a fortune, sources maintained.
INP adds: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif on Saturday agreed to increase the defence budget from 15 to 20 per cent for the next fiscal year. Dar said in view of the country''s security situation, all defence needs would be adequately met, sources said.
The minister said defence was amongst the government''s topmost priorities, adding that all necessary resources would be provided to the forces in order to strengthen security. The minister''s statements came as he met with General Sharif during which the two discussed the defence budget for the coming fiscal year. With a 15 to 20 per cent increase, the final figure for the country''s defence budget is likely to exceed Rs 700bn - a significant boost to the existing Rs 627bn for the current fiscal year.
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