ISLAMABAD: The Senate was informed on Wednesday that the government had spent Rs297.25 billion on the war against terrorism over the last 10 years, while it received from the United States a small fraction of around Rs12bn out of this hefty amount during the same period.

Sharing the year- and head-wise details of spending for the first time, the finance ministry said special allocation made to the army over and above the normal budget during the period stood at Rs152.925bn.

An amount of Rs33.434bn was spent on the special security division from 2014-15 to 2017-18, while Rs32.351 million was incurred on payment of internal security allowance over the past 10 years. Another Rs16bn was spent on security-related expenses of the army from 2014-15 to 2016-17. An amount of Rs4bn was incurred on the military operation in Swat in 2009-10 and Rs9.327bn on Rah-i-Haq and Rah-i-Nijat operations during the same period.

Pakistan received only Rs12bn from US during this period

According to details, Rs27bn was spent on the Zarb-i-Azb operation of which Rs15bn was released to the army in 2014-15 and Rs12bn to air force in 2015-16 and 2016-17. Another Rs1bn was spent on management of people displaced due to Zarb-i-Azb in 2014-15.

An amount of Rs11.202bn was spent under the prime minister’s assistance package on defence services from 2008-09 to 2017-18. An amount of Rs0.191bn was disbursed in 2015-16 from the prime minister’s assistance package for the APS attack martyrs. An amount of Rs19bn was spent on fencing and lighting of the country’s border with Afghanistan over the past two years.

The finance ministry said the US had pledged $132m under international narcotics control and law enforcement for controlling terrorism in Pakistan, but released $111m during the last 10 years.

The finance ministry provided Rs45bn to the Fata secretariat for return, rehabilitation and housing subsidy for temporarily displaced persons of the tribal areas.

It also provided Rs67.58bn to Sindh and Punjab Rangers, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Frontier Corps, KP Frontier Constabulary, Pakistan Coast Guards and Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts for procurement of equipment and payment of compensation to the heirs of terror victims. Another Rs31bn was given to Punjab and Sindh Rangers, Balochistan and KP Frontier Corps and others under the Public Sector Development Programme.

PIA plane sale

The Senate adopted the report of a special committee on investigation into alleged sale of Pakistan International Airlines’ Airbus 310 to a German firm and the circumstances under which the airline’s former CEO, a German national, was allowed to leave the country despite his name being on the ECL.

A subcommittee headed by Senator Farhatullah Babar and comprising Nauman Wazir and Tahir Hussain Mashhadi had been formed to probe the matter.

According to the report, the sale of Airbus plane was unauthorised, there were glaring flaws in the tendering process, the normal procedure was bypassed and it was sold at a very low price. The blame could not be laid on the shoulders of just two persons and the culpability was much wider, it said.

The report called for diligently pursuing inquiry/investigation by the National Accountability Bureau to which it had already been referred and that the Senate secretariat be kept informed regularly about the progress.

After the Senate took notice, the sale of the aircraft had been stopped and a much higher price had been negotiated for the sale. The report said the former CEO be brought back to Pakistan and in this connection the Foreign Office should take up the matter with the German Embassy in Islamabad on whose guarantee and commitment the permission was given.

A highlight of the day’s proceedings was the dramatic move by PML-N Senator Nisar Muhammad Khan of announcing in the house his resignation from both the Senate as well as basic membership of the party.

Mr Khan, who was due to retire next month, said his conscience did not allow him to continue as member of the house after his brother Haji Fida Muhammad had been awarded a Senate ticket by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2018