People are living under worse conditions in Pakistan due to the state’s negligence at one hand while at the other, expenditures of Pakistan Army and ruling elites are increasing day by day.
Pakistan is also buying arms worth billions of dollars. It is the cry of the time that the government should curtail defence and non-development expenditures to provide and allocate enough funds for health, education and other basic necessities of life to the poor and deprived people of Pakistan.
These views were expressed by speakers at a seminar arranged on ‘Global Day of Action against Military Spending’, organised by South Asia Partnership–Pakistan at Lahore Press Club here on Tuesday.
The theme of the seminar was “From a defence State to a Welfare State: Analysis of Defence Expenditures of Pakistan”. People from different walks of life including economists, intellectuals and civil society organizations attended the seminar. They expressed their deep concerns over the pathetic situation of people who are starving due to poverty and deprivation of basic human rights and necessities of life. People are committing suicide due to financial problems and frustrations. Speakers showed their grieved concern over the allocation of Rs 5 billion in addition to the defence budget allocated in the fiscal year 2011-12. They said that people were dying without bread while the army and rulers were burning candles at the both ends. The speakers demanded a state which could play the role as mother with the spirit of motherhood. “We do not want a state whose nurture is that of a Defence State,” they said. The economists, including Dr A H Nayyer and Parwaize Houdbhoy, spoke on the subject “Budget, Defence Expenditures and International commitments.” They told the audience that Pakistan Army was the world’s sixth biggest Army and is on 15th top level army regarding defence expenditures amongst 185 countries. They said that the army’s annual budget was Rs 5 billion, as shown in documents but in fact it is Rs 800 billion per year and in addition Pakistan imports arms, which cost US$ 1 billion. “It is the third biggest country of the world in this regard,” they said. They said that we have to raise our collective voices against such attitudes and try our level best for the formation of a pro-people State.
Working Women Organization Director, Ruobeena Jamil, said that women and girls are more sufferers of price hike and poverty. She said that women are not even taken into confidence while planning of development programs and budgeting therefore they and their issues are at the lowest priority and minimum funds are being allocated for their health, education and other facilities.
Secretary General Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, I A Rehman, while talking on “Importance and Priorities of pro-people budget” said that Pakistan was on 145th number amongst 187 countries according to a Human Development Index and is the poorest as compared to many South African countries.
Rehman emphasised that as a nation we have to eliminate our deprivations and this is our dire need. He said that we should demand to cut defence budget and to spend more budget on development sectors and to eradicate poverty and starvation from Pakistan. “This should be our slogan during the up coming elections,” he said adding we should set our national priorities as soon as possible otherwise it will be too late and our existence will be in danger. He said defence budget must be curtailed to less than one percent of the total GNP and funds should be spent on health, education and economic development of the people.
Strengthening Participatory Organisation Regional Director Salman Abid, delivering his speech on ‘Budget Making and People’s Expectations’, said that in view of economists the upper most limit of defence expenditures was three percent of total GNP, which has swallowed our country. He said this is one of the indicators showing our bad situation.
