The Senate Defence Committee on Monday expressed satisfaction over the recommendations presented by the Ministry of Defence, which included modernization plans for the armed forces, continued support for operation Zarb-e-Azb as well as waiving of sales tax and custom duty on defence procurement items.
The committee received a detailed and comprehensive briefing regarding defence budget at the Parliament House.
The briefing, which was held in-camera, included a comprehensive review in detail about different aspects of the defence budget and its utilization by the three-services as well as affiliated organisations under the Ministry of Defence.
The Defence Committee was told that since 2001 till 2015, the United States had provided reimbursement to Pakistan of $13 billion in the form of Coalition Support Fund (CSF). The committee was also told that Pakistan had suffered over $100 billion in various forms in difference sectors since 9/11.
The committee was told that the defence budget of $7.7 billion comprised only 17% of the national budget of $43 billion.
Referring to transparency issues on the defence budget, the committee was briefed that as a result of some 900 audit paras in the past years, the Ministry of Defence had been able to recover Rs 1.5 billion and there was strict internal oversight through the Departmental Audit Committee.
Responding to a petition that the Senate Defence Committee had received regarding the Shuhada Package for the families of the Army Public School martyrs, the Ministry of Defence had moved a summary which has now been approved by the Ministry of Finance to provide compensation packages on an equal basis to all martyrs without any distinction as to whether they were government servants or contract employees. In terms of compensation package, they would be treated at par.