Now Reading: US flags Pakistan’s lack of civilian oversight over Rs 3 trillion defence budget
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US flags Pakistan’s lack of civilian oversight over Rs 3 trillion defence budget
US flags Pakistan’s lack of civilian oversight over Rs 3 trillion defence budget
The US State Department has flagged a lack of adequate parliamentary and civilian oversight over Pakistan’s military and intelligence budgets, even as Islamabad allocates Rs 3 trillion for defence in 2026-27. Washington’s…
The Story in Brief
The US State Department has flagged a lack of adequate parliamentary and civilian oversight over Pakistan’s military and intelligence budgets, even as Islamabad allocates Rs 3 trillion for defence in 2026-27. Washington’s Fiscal Transparency Report also criticised Pakistan for limited disclosure of government debt, including state-owned enterprises, and delays in publishing the executive budget proposal.
The defence allocation is up 17.65 per cent from last year’s Rs 2.55 trillion and accounts for nearly 16 per cent of the federal government’s total outlay. Salaries and operating expenses total about Rs 1.71 trillion, while spending on arms and military equipment has risen sharply to Rs 925.83 billion. Military pensions and nuclear programme spending sit outside the published defence budget.
The Indian Opinion
Pakistan’s civilian government has long maintained that defence spending is a national priority, but the US report exposes the gap between that claim and the secrecy around military accounts. The standard rejoinder from Islamabad is that Washington itself does not reveal every line item. Yet the Rs 3 trillion figure already strains a fragile economy. The test is whether Pakistan will now publish a consolidated defence expenditure statement that includes nuclear weapons and off-budget imports. One number to watch: the actual total military spend, including pensions and undisclosed items, is reliably estimated to cross Rs 4.5 lakh crore. Will the finance minister confirm that figure?
Sources (2): timesnownews.com, businesstoday.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
