This is the price tag of this harmful 'friendship' with the US. Pakistan should better forgo this and strengthen ties with China and Russia.

These heavy losses for the nation have not affected booming businesses of the ruling class though.

Not a new news. Every war is an opportunity to make money. Who is minting billions? Someone is certainly benefiting, do we know who? Did we ever try to know who? Can we even point the finger of blame to anyone? And please do not give me the lame excuse that it was the Americans.

Half the amount has gone into the hands of politicians.

War Economy bring riches to the privileged few. Now who got permanent UK citizenship?

@Mansoor I agree. Just try to correlate the volume of deposits in Panama and other such havens with the economic loss. You will find that the country lost and some individuals' accounts bloated.

Sorry to say but still not learning from past mistakes. Everyday some banned group leader is freely roaming in Pakistan and shouting to demolish some other country with suicide bombing in the name of freedom of some parts which is claimed to be disputed. Environment of violence creates further violence.

Gov. Wathra, who was awarded with the title of #1 central banker in the entire world by a Euro country remains unknown and faceless while Yellen, Rajan, and Carney in other nations have become stars. Why?

What is the figure based on?

Flood water brings alluvial soil as well let us expect for better harvest.

Whom to blame..USA on its part, was compensating USD 1-2 Billions every year. Rest need to be accounted for some bad policies

And how much did the US give Pakistan in the same period?

Pittance.

Nothing to add....

Musharraf and his dictatorial decisions are still haunting Pakistan

World Tallest Building - Burj Khalifa costs $ 1.5 bn World Biggest Damn - Three Gorges dam costs $ 22.5 bn Cost of Building and Launching Space Satellite costs $ 500 mn Dubailand – $76 bn King Abdullah Economic City – $86 bn The International Space Station – $150 bn London cross rail project - $ 15.67 bn 2nd largest in the world - High speed rail in China - $ 88 bn

The unity it brought to the nation is priceless.

At least America is benefited by our government. We should proud for that.

When a nation does not realize that its population is its main asset and not arms or military or nuclear weapons etc. then the nation has to bear the consequences, invest in education, invest in human resources, invest in healthcare, invest in sports, invest in giving skills, and useful work to your millions. My dear countrymen understand it is not the billions that is important it is human lives that are important.

How much has corruption by the politicians cost Pakistan? Are there any figures?

@Mansoor why is it a "lame" escyse. Is that because your dear anericans are angels thar are innocent of every war they started. And the mess they created?

‘War on terror’ has cost USA $5 Trillion.

And what about over 50000 Pakistanis who lost their lives. Money can be brought back but not the people who died.

Does anyone know the cost of not fighting this war?

@ozzy No one can create a mess in my home if I do not allow. What America could do to Iranian for 40 years ? Did they disappear from earth? Were they pushed into dark ages? If America has been doling out 2 Billion dollars a year to Pakistan (for over 30 years), is there an Audit where this money was going and who is getting cuts, commissions and kick backs? It is mine, your's and our fault that the country is in such state and "WE" allowed it to be like that.

The ongoing war against terrorism and extremism cannot bring enduring peace and stability unless the menace of corruption is not uprooted. General Raheel must help and take a solid step in eliminating the corruption and injustice from Pakistan first. Because spending billions on war against terror is just waste of money. Still Every month a new bomb blast occurs in Pakistan on regular basis and innocent people die. Please end corruption first to end terrorism. And make the borders stronger before spending billions on war against terror. You can spend the same money on making borders stronger (Like erecting laser security walls on the borders with afghanistan) because strong borders =Secure nation.

@UFO Do not blame Americans. You know who our strategic assets are, how the country has been hijacked and how we are paying the ransom ie Rs 118 Billion.

I ask, except lollipops, what have we got so far from allying with the USA? Losses, only. She has always left is in lurch whenever we needed her. As a state, Pakistan has lost her self-respect.

@ AJax

Would it be possible to ask the UN to help Pakistan recover these losses from the US?

The war on terror caused these losses or was it the terror attacks which caused these losses or was it a combination of both?

Can we say that Pakistan would not have incurred these losses had it avoided the war on terror?

Pakistan fighting war against terror for its own good, not for others. If people think this is to help "Others", then they are really wrong. And spending on their own welfare, it is nothing.

@Mansoor - "What America could do to Iranian for 40 years ?"

Iran's economic loss has been worse than the figure in this news due to sanctions. Iran suffered a loss of about $26bn in oil revenue in 2012 from a total of $95bn in 2011 alone. That is just 2 years and just from oil. You can extrapolate oil and other losses over 40 years.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15983302

And what corruption perhaps it cost more than that

It is time for Pakistan to stop differentiating good terrorists versus bad terrorists. Stop politics and root out terrorism in whatever form they manifest in our soil.

There has to be a detailed foreign policy, not case to case basis. We have to look for economic partners in every corner of the world, with strong economy the problem of terrorism shall vanish.

what a shame, such heavy irreversible damage due to an imposed war that beatified the civil and military elite at the cost of a common Pakistani.

What did we earn except curses and humiliation ..

And Corruption around $500 billion

Let us now ask the US administration if they are with us in War on Terror, or want to withdraw. Our next move should be to get rid of the terror-monger US and start our own Zarb against terror on our own.

Pakistan should honestly try to eradicate corruption and terrorism. It can be done on an emergency plan and once our institutions realize this on a war footing its a very small issue. Learn from the mistakes of America, they used these people and then got them killed later on. America made so many other mistakes also but they have changed their policy from overt actions in the world by bush & covert in the times of Obama. Stay with American block and eventually it will pay off.

So Mr Musharaf, any comments please. Don't forget the human cost, the brain drain, the sociological effects and an endless list. How happy are we, isn't it?

@Harmony-1© Iran did not fall on her face. Actually they stood their ground and are standing tall among the so called Muslim world. They ultimately got what they wanted on their terms rather than us where if someone wants to shake our hand we thrust the permanent begging bowl asking for aids and loans.

This is cost of taking part in adventurism of Afghan Jehad launched by America , the West and Arab states against USSR . We have secured nothing except militancy sectarianism , heroine and intolerable conducts . We should rethink and realine our national narrative and take strict action against banned groups as advised in National Action Plan .

@M. Emad : And, Hillary !

@LCA tejus - that is the most sensible comment I have read - Pakistan still has some hope while we have realists like you in the country

And how much US has paid and how much actually came into systems and how much in pockets ?

A war against the monsters that we ourselves created. We have no one to blame but ourselves.

@Faisal Some our created problems, some by foreign intelligence, but worry not hate has no religion, they need to be eliminated. Shanti needs to prevail that is the biggest way of life and above any faith.

If the money is spent to extend the peace n understanding the ideologies may be we don't not have to ever fight the war again..History is full of examples where ruling with an iron fist or solving the issues with violence has promoted nothing but more violence. Folks some one put it so beautifully...To become a true global citizen, one must abandon all notions of 'otherness' and instead embrace 'togetherness'. The world is no longer white, black, yellow and brown. Through love, tribes have been intermixing colors to reveal a new rainbow world. And as more time passes, this racial and cultural blending will make it harder for humans to side with one race, nation or religion over another. Therefore, practical wisdom should be used to abandon any cultural, social, religious, tribal, and national beliefs of alterity altogether. This is the only way mankind will truly evolve. Segregation is a word of the past. Unity is the key to a peaceful future.”

@Khanm Love and hugs to you friend :)

Why did your leaders get involved in the first place? Didn't your leaders have an agreement with US about sharing the costs?

@Harmony-1© Are you surprised?

There is conflict in figures...

@bk

correction ---much more than half

@Harmony-1© Actually of Punjab. The rest of Pakistan has suffered losses.