The Hindu : Defence outlay unchanged in Pak. budget

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 08, 2003

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International

Defence outlay unchanged in Pak. budget

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD June 7. It was a unique budget presentation by the Pakistan Finance Minister, Shaukat Aziz, in Parliament today by any yardstick.

Not a word of what he read from his prepared text could be heard thanks to the unprecedented noise levels from the bench thumping by the Opposition in protest against the controversial Musharraf laws.

The common people of Pakistan, interested in details of the budget 2003-2004, were more fortunate than members in the National Assembly and Senate and the large contingent of press corps.

The state-run Pakistan Television and several of the newly-launched private television channels in the country carried it live.

Ironically, when the country was under military rule between October 1999 to 2002, Mr. Aziz (Finance Minister in the Pervez Musharraf Cabinet too) had fallen back on the television to unveil the budget proposals. In practical sense, today was no different.

Mr. Aziz announced tax-free budget of 805.2 billion rupees for the year 2003-4, allocating 160.3 billion rupees for defence. The defence allocation is the same as the revised figure of last year as Pakistan is committed to the international financial institutions not to enhance its defence outlay for the next few years.

The Finance Minister did announce several sops to the salaried and middle class. These included 15 per cent hike in salaries of government employees and pensioners, substantial reduction in duties on edible oils and some other consumer items. Without imposing any new taxes, he has proposed marginal reduction in income tax, wealth tax and excise duties.

The Pervez Musharraf-Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali establishment has reasons to heave a major sigh of relief over the success of the ruling combine in presenting the budget. There were serious concerns in the establishment circles in view of the belligerent postures of the Opposition on the issue of Musharraf laws and controversy over continuation of Gen. Musharraf as President.

The budget session had become particularly prestigious for the Jamali Government as Gen. Musharraf is all set to embark on a three-nation tour including the U.S.

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