IN a parliamentary debate on additional defence appropriations, Sherry Rehman asked for more information.

She was quickly hushed up by her own party's law minister. Earlier, the Public Accounts Committee had expressed ennui at military pension bill, Rs72billion having been clubbed under civilian head.

It appears that parliament and relevant audit bodies are not properly briefed about the various aspects of defence budge.

It is an open secret that military pensions are shown as 'civil pensions' to deflate defence expenditure as a proportion of GDP.

India also does so to get a favourable place in comparisons made by Military Balance, Jane's Defence, and other inernational magazines.

However, there is one point that merits consideration. India showcases its 'transparent' defence expenditures on websites. But Pakistan conventionally gives 'a one-line cumulative defence outlay' in its defence budget.

This gives the impression that Pakistan wants to conceal its defence expenditure. The reality is that there is no effort to conceal defence outlays. When demanded, the details of the defence budget for the current as well as for the coming financial year were placed before parliament on June 18, 2008.

Lt-General Attiqur Rehman says “In a democracy, the defence services belong to the people through their representatives in the parliament. Thus the people have the right to know what is going on, how their money is being spent, and how the defence services are being managed and administered. In fact, they have a right to know everything, except details of actual war plans”.

The real problem is that a hike in India's defence outlays ratchets up at the cost of social sectors.

DEEBA MALIK
Rawalpindi Cantt