Pakistan-Russia military relationship has entered into a new era: Kh Asif

Lahore: The Senate Defence Committee today received a detailed and comprehensive briefing regarding defence budget at the Parliament House. Minister for Defence, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Secretary Defence, Lt. Gen. (R) Alam Khattak and senior officials of the Ministry of Defence were present on the occasion. 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 3 services as well as affiliated organisations under the Ministry of Defence.

The Defence Committee members expressed satisfaction about the role of the Ministry of Defence and agreed with 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 Defence Committee was told that so far since 2001 till 2015, the United States had provided reimbursement to the Government of Pakistan of $ 13 billion in the form of Coalition Support Fund (CSF).  The Committee was also told that Pakistan had suffered over 100 billion dollars in various forms in different sectors since 9/11. The Committee was told that the defence budget of $ 7.7 billion was 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 is now been approved by the Ministry of Finance to provide compensation packages on an equal basis to all martyrs without any distinct as to whether they were government servants or contract employees and for the future, in terms of compensation package, they would be treated at par.  The Committee thanked the Ministry of Defence for promptly and positively responding to this proposal of the Senate Defence Committee.

The Senate Defence Committee also approved legislation that had been presented before the Committee pertaining to the Pakistan Army Amendment Ordinance 2015 and the Cantonment Amendment Ordinance 2015.

Given an overview of Pakistan-Russia military relations based on his 2 visits to Moscow in the last 2 years, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif referred to a qualitative change in the content of the Pakistan-Russia military relationship particularly in the defence sector which now include defence cooperation, projects of defence equipment, an offer of military training of Pakistan officers in Russia, provision of equipment to counter terrorism as well as anti-narcotics smuggling plus, for the first time, Pakistan Russia Joint Naval exercises in St. Petersburg in 2015. Khawaja Asif appreciated the Senate Defence Committee under the leadership of its Chairman, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed for its proactive role as well as serving to promote civil-military harmony.

The Senate Defence Committee was also briefed that India’s military postures and operations remained Pakistan centric and India continues to interfere in Pakistan’s internal affairs by supporting terror groups.  The Defence Committee also passed a unanimous resolution, moved by Senator Sehar Kamran, strongly condemning the India shelling across the LOC and the working boundary and indiscriminate killing of civilians living along the LOC.  The Committee urged the Government to raise this issue with the UN and other international forums.

The Defence Committee meeting was attended by Senators Lt. Gen. (R) Abdul Qayyum, Lt. Gen. (R) Salahuddin Tirmizi, Brig. (R) Jhon Keneth Williams, Col. (R) Tahir Hussain Mashhadi, Sehar Kamran, Hidayatullah, Attaur Rehman and its Secretary, Dr. Syed Parvaiz Abbas.