The US also criticised Islamabad for not publishing its executive budget proposal within a reasonable period (representative image)
In June, Pakistan’s federal government proposed allocating Rs 3 trillion for defence services, up 17.65 per cent from the previous year’s initial allocation of Rs 2.55 trillion, according to Dawn. The government has allocated Rs 822 billion for retired military personnel under the federal pension outlay, according to Dawn.
However, it said military and intelligence budgets remained outside adequate parliamentary or civilian public scrutiny. “The military and intelligence budgets were not subject to adequate parliamentary or civilian public oversight,” the report said. This limits the time available for lawmakers and civil society to examine government spending before the budget is adopted, according to the assessment.
The US state department has flagged a lack of adequate parliamentary and civilian oversight of Pakistan’s military and intelligence spending, while also raising concerns over limited disclosure of government debt and delays in publishing the executive budget proposal. The report noted that Pakistan made its enacted budget and end-of-year financial statements widely available online. It urged Islamabad to make its executive budget proposal publicly available within a reasonable period, disclose detailed information about government debt obligations, including liabilities linked to state-owned enterprises, and bring military and intelligence agency budgets under parliamentary or civilian public oversight. Military pensions are accounted for separately from the main defence services budget.