ISLAMABAD: Against the demand of Rs 586 billion for defence, the country’s armed forces will get Rs 495 billion budgetary allocation for the upcoming fiscal year 2011-12, official sources told Daily Times on Monday.
“The Ministry of Finance has set the defence budget at Rs 495 billion for the next financial year 2011-12, some 11.7 percent more than the budgetary allocation of Rs 443 billion for the outgoing fiscal year 2010-11,” the sources added. The current budgetary allocation of Rs 495 billion is for the three armed forces – Pakistan Army, Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Air Force – for the fiscal year 2011-12.
The sources informed that the three armed forces had worked out their defence budget needs at Rs 586 billion for the next fiscal year, however, the Ministry of Defence had recommended an allocation of Rs 525 billion for defence purposes for next the fiscal year.
Keeping in view the financial constraints faced by the country, especially after the floods, the Ministry of Finance has decided to keep the defence budget at Rs 495 billion for the next fiscal year.
The sources further informed that allocation for Armed Forces Development Plan (AFDP) which amounts at Rs 120 billion annually and around Rs 125 billion expenditures on the war against terror (later reimbursed from Coalition Support Fund) would be over and above the defence budget allocation of Rs 495 billion for the next fiscal year 2011-12, the sources explained.
The development budget of the Ministry of Defence for the next fiscal year 2011-12 would be allocated separate amount.
The ministry had allocated Rs 443 billion for defence budget for the ongoing fiscal year 2010-11 and some Rs 331.5 billion has been spent during the first nine months (July-March) period of the ongoing fiscal year. Some Rs 112 billion is available for defence expenditure for remaining (April-June) period of the ongoing fiscal year.
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