Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said on Monday that the allocation for defence was only 18 percent of the total national budget, not 70 percent as believed by many, Geo News reported. According to a statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Gen Kayani said even out of that paltry 18 percent, only 8 to 9 percent of funds trickled down to the sentinels of the country, which was a matter of serious concern. The army chief made it clear that parliament would set the tone for Pakistan’s ties with the United States and NATO.
Flanked by Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman, he told reporters at Jacobabad Airbase that the prime minister had told him that parliament was deliberating on the next line of action regarding NATO and whatever it decided would be the final word. On operations in the tribal areas, Gen Kayani said the army was trying its best to use the least possible force. Speaking on the occasion, Marshal Suleman said there was nothing installed in the US F-16s that could stop the air force form using them against American warplanes. He also said the Shahbaz Airbase was in total Pakistani control.
Defence budget only 18%: Kayani
