PM Imran appreciates military's 'voluntary' cuts in defence expenditures

[B.K.N]

So there is no cut in the military budget in the currency of its allocation, merely a freeze for one year, just as the COAS said.

You can compare defense budget of past year and current year

 

[Sugarcane]

Obviously the military eats the same food as the rest of the nation. We are all in this together, right?

In that case, shouldn't budgets for baboos and judges should remain same as per last year?

 

[VCheng]

You can compare defense budget of past year and current year

Hey, if the COAS is okay with this "voluntary" freeze for one year, who am I to disagree?

In that case, shouldn't budgets for baboos and judges should remain same as per last year?

I am sure their cuts will be coming as part of the upcoming budget. No one will escape the painful adjustments necessary.

 

[FuturePAF]

Development funds need to monitored this time. each member of parliament need an auditor to watch how the money allocated to their district is actually spend. If the PPP or PML-N or smaller party or even PTI spends outside of what it was allocated for; then they can be named and shamed, and hopefully the spending can be caught and reversed.

We need to make our limited development funds really count this time, we have no room for corruption to eat up the money sacrificed from defense spending and paying back our loans

 

[Abdussamad]

All this drama would be unnecessary if the cuts were really voluntary. They've been done on the insistence of the IMF.

 

[VCheng]

All this drama would be unnecessary if the cuts were really voluntary. They've been done on the insistence of the IMF.

No. It is the government that decides how to implement the changes needed to balance its books.

 

[Abdussamad]

No. It is the government that decides how to implement the changes needed to balance its books.

Government has handed over the finance ministry, central bank and tax authority to the IMF.

 

[VCheng]

Government has handed over the finance ministry, central bank and tax authority to the IMF.

Absolutely not. The government still holds these authorities and appointed the people that it did.

 

[Abdussamad]

Absolutely not. The government still holds these authorities and appointed the people that it did.

Nope. They handed over control to IMF appointees. It's been done before. In turkey for example.

 

[VCheng]

Nope. They handed over control to IMF appointees. It's been done before. In turkey for example.

So who signed the appointment letters for these personnel?

 

[Abdussamad]

So who signed the appointment letters for these personnel?

Pakistan govt. under threat of economic collapse.

 

[VCheng]

Pakistan govt. under threat of economic collapse.

So I assume that the decision for these appointments was made by PMIK.

 

[B.K.N]

So I assume that the decision for these appointments was made by PMIK.

Under the threat of economic collapse

 

[VCheng]

Under the threat of economic collapse

It is up to PMIK to decide what is best for the country he leads.

 

[Abdussamad]

So I assume that the decision for these appointments was made by PMIK.

Yes indeed you are right. GoP chose to get an IMF bailout. GoP chose to comply with IMF conditions. However just so we are clear the sacrifice being made here is that of the country's economic sovereignty. These individuals don't answer to anyone in Pakistan. They answer only to the IMF.

The only reason they are coming out and talking about a voluntary cut is because they want to hide the fact that we had no choice. That we can't afford the military we have and it is bankrupting the country! That the only reason we were able to afford it in the past is because foreign tax payers were happy to periodically bail us out.