Why US is questioning Pakistan’s Rs 3 trillion defence spending

The
US
also
c iticised
Islamabad
fo
ot
publishi g
its
executive
budget
p oposal
withi
a
easo able
pe iod
( ep ese tative
image)

The
US
state
depa tme t
has
flagged
a
lack
of
adequate
pa liame ta y
a d
civilia
ove sight
of
Pakista ‘s
milita y
a d
i tellige ce
spe di g,
while
also
aisi g
co ce s
ove
limited
disclosu e
of
gove me t
debt
a d
delays
i
publishi g
the
executive
budget
p oposal.The
co ce s
we e
highlighted
i
the
2026
Fiscal
T a spa e cy
Repo t,
which
assessed
Pakista ‘s
public
fi a cial
t a spa e cy
a d
ide tified
gaps
i
the
cou t y’s
budgeta y
a d
fiscal
disclosu e
p actices.The
epo t
oted
that
Pakista
made
its
e acted
budget
a d
e d-of-yea
fi a cial
stateme ts
widely
available
o li e.
Howeve ,
it
said
milita y
a d
i tellige ce
budgets
emai ed
outside
adequate
pa liame ta y
o
civilia
public
sc uti y.“The
milita y
a d
i tellige ce
budgets
we e
ot
subject
to
adequate
pa liame ta y
o
civilia
public
ove sight,”
the
epo t
said.The
US
also
c iticised
Islamabad
fo
ot
publishi g
its
executive
budget
p oposal
withi
a
easo able
pe iod.Acco di g
to
the
assessme t,
this
limits
the
time
available
fo
lawmake s
a d
civil
society
to
exami e
gove me t
spe di g
befo e
the
budget
is
adopted.

US
asks
Pakista
to
imp ove
defe ce
a d
debt
t a spa e cy

The
state
depa tme t
called
fo
th ee
key
cha ges
to
Pakista ‘s
fiscal
t a spa e cy
f amewo k.

It
u ged
Islamabad
to
make
its
executive
budget
p oposal
publicly
available
withi
a
easo able
pe iod,
disclose
detailed
i fo matio
about
gove me t
debt
obligatio s,
i cludi g
liabilities
li ked
to
state-ow ed
e te p ises,
a d
b i g
milita y
a d
i tellige ce
age cy
budgets
u de
pa liame ta y
o
civilia
public
ove sight.The
epo t
also
aised
co ce s
about
Pakista ‘s
disclosu e
of
public
debt,
sayi g
o ly
limited
i fo matio
was
available
o
debt
obligatio s,
i cludi g
those
of
majo
state-ow ed
e te p ises.At
the
same
time,
the
US
assessme t
ack owledged
some
positive
aspects
of
Pakista ‘s
public
fi a cial
system.It
said
the
cou t y’s
sup eme
audit
i stitutio
met
i te atio al
sta da ds
of
i depe de ce
a d
oted
that
its
audit
epo ts
we e
published
i
a
timely
ma e
a d
co tai ed
substa tive
fi di gs.

Pakista ‘s
defe ce
allocatio
ises
to
Rs
3
t illio

The
US
assessme t
comes
agai st
the
backd op
of
a
substa tial
i c ease
i
Pakista ‘s
defe ce
allocatio
fo
the
2026-27
fi a cial
yea .I
Ju e,
Pakista ‘s
fede al
gove me t
p oposed
allocati g
Rs
3
t illio
fo
defe ce
se vices,
up
17.65
pe
ce t
f om
the
p evious
yea ‘s
i itial
allocatio
of
Rs
2.55
t illio ,
acco di g
to
Daw .The
p oposed
defe ce
se vices
allocatio
amou ts
to
about
2.08
pe
ce t
of
Pakista ‘s
p ojected
GDP
of
Rs
143.6
t illio
a d
ea ly
16
pe
ce t
of
the
fede al
gove me t’s
total
outlay
of
Rs
18.77
t illio .Spe di g
o
civil
wo ks
elated
to
milita y
i f ast uctu e
was
p ojected
to
ise
7.92
pe
ce t
to
Rs
363.16
billio ,
f om
Rs
336.49
billio
p eviously.Milita y
pe sio s
a e
accou ted
fo
sepa ately
f om
the
mai
defe ce
se vices
budget.
The
gove me t
has
allocated
Rs
822
billio
fo
eti ed
milita y
pe so el
u de
the
fede al
pe sio
outlay,
acco di g
to
Daw .The
allocatio
fo
defe ce
admi ist atio
was
set
at
Rs
10.9
billio ,
compa ed
with
Rs
7.9
billio
i
the
outgoi g
fiscal
yea ‘s
o igi al
budget.
That
allocatio
was
late
evised
to
Rs
11.75
billio .Majo
milita y
impo ts
a d
defe ce
acquisitio s
a e
ge e ally
fu ded
outside
the
mai
defe ce
se vices
allocatio
a d
emai
u disclosed.The
US
state
depa tme t’s
assessme t
the efo e
highlights
a
disti ctio
betwee
Pakista ‘s
publicly
disclosed
defe ce
allocatio
a d
the
wide
milita y
spe di g
that
may
ot
be
fully
visible
th ough
the
cou t y’s
budgeta y
docume ts.

Defe ce
spe di g
emai s
a
key
t a spa e cy
co ce

The
state
depa tme t’s
ecomme datio s
focus
o
b i gi g
milita y
a d
i tellige ce
expe ditu e
i to
the
b oade
f amewo k
of
public
fi a cial
ove sight.While
the
epo t
ecog ised
that
Pakista
publishes
key
budget
docume ts,
it
ide tified
defe ce
a d
i tellige ce
spe di g,
debt
disclosu e
a d
the
timi g
of
budget
publicatio
as
a eas
equi i g
g eate
t a spa e cy.The
ecomme datio s
would
equi e
Pakista
to
give
lawmake s
a d
the
public
g eate
visibility
i to
milita y
a d
i tellige ce
allocatio s,
as
well
as
gove me t
liabilities
li ked
to
state-ow ed
e te p ises.