Indo-Pak Military Expenditures and Global Trends
Wednesday June 09, 2010
Apart from P-5 countries, India, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Japan, and Italy have been grouped among the world’s ten top most countries, which spend maximum on their defence expenditures. Even under the moderate Democrat President Barack Obama, United States spends 53 percent of the global military expenditures.
Until 2009, US share in the global military spending was 43 percent. For the year 2010, it has increased another $47 billion in its defence budget, thus bringing the total volume of its defence budget to $ 680 billion. Otherwise, over the last decade, there has been an increase in the military spending of almost all countries of the world.
According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), estimates, released on June 2, 2010, 1531 billion USD were expended on militaries as the defence budgets. Overall, there has been an increase of 5.9 percent in the defence spending during 2009, as compared to year 2008. However, there been huge increase in the military budgets since 2000. The estimated increase is 49 percent from year 2000 to 2009, which unprecedented after the demise of cold war.
This enormous increase in the defence budgets of the countries is almost everywhere. Even countries like Nigeria and Algeria has doubled their military budgets. “Kazakhstan has increased its defence spending by 360 percent, Azerbaijan by nearly 500 percent, the Democratic Republic of Congo by as much 663 percent.” For the financial year, 2010-2011, India increased its Military budget by 34 percent. India is already in the list of top ten defence spenders. Pakistan however has increased its defence budget by 16.935 percent. In real term, this increase is less than 5 percent, once the over 12 percent inflation rate is incorporated into it.
This ignorable increase in the budget of Pakistan is primarily to meet the challenges of combating the militancy and terrorism along its western frontiers. This fact was amply highlighted by Finance Minister, who said during the budget speech that, “We are facing a situation in which our armed forces, paramilitary forces, and security forces are laying down their lives ... They should know from this House that we all stand by them and that Security is our topmost concern”. In the wake of the ongoing counter insurgency operations, in FATA, KPK and parts of Balochistan Province, this increase is considered minimum essential. Indeed, a major chunk of the budget is expended on the pay, allowances, and maintenance expenditures of defence personnel and the current holdings.
As per SIPRI Year Book-2010, there has been a constant rise in the Indian defence budget since 2001. Following figures indicate this rise in term of billion US dollars ($ b);
2001 - 22.636
2002 - 22.566
2003 - 23.070
2004 - 26.773
2005 - 28.295
2006 - 28.465
2007 - 28.866
2008 - 32.334
2009 - 26.600
Contrary to the Indian budget, there has been a decline in Pakistani defence budgets over the same period. In terms of billion US dollars ($ b) the volume of the successive budgets has been as:
2001 - 4.195
2002 - 4.508
2003 - 4.814
2004 - 5.015
2005 - 5.210
2006 - 5.269
2007 - 5.275
2008 - 4.877
2009 - 4.823
In-spite of the heavy volume of Indian defence budget, for the years 2010-2011, it has increased its defence budget by 34 percent. Traditionally, there has been a rivalry between India and Pakistan, ever since they got independence in August 1947. Except a brief conflict between India and China in 1962, India has no adversary in either South or Southeast Asia. Currently India and China are widely cooperating in the field of economy and trade. The bi-lateral trade volume between these countries is over $40 billion. All border issues between them have almost been resolved. In the last sixty years, India has fought three wars with Pakistan. After disintegrating Pakistan in 1971, there has been no military engagement of Indian Military, where it could have expanded this much budget. Pakistan however, has been persistently engaged in the field of military. For its own safety and security, Pakistan had to stop Soviet expansion towards warm waters, after it invaded Afghanistan in 1979. Following the unfortunate incident of 9/11, it has become a front line state in the global war against terror. In the process, it has to fight an unending militancy and terrorism, still ongoing; indeed, the outcome of Pakistan’s partnership with West and US during the both campaigns. From the above-mentioned volume of the budgets, one can easily make out the difference in the military spending of both countries. Indeed, there are no parallels between these two budgets.
As clearly reflected in the abovementioned estimates of an authentic organization (SIPRI), there has been a constant decline in the defence spending of Pakistan since 2001. It is now around 2 percent of the GDP as compared to over 4 percent in 1980s and over 3 percent in 1990s. Although, even this budget is unaffordable for the economically poor countries like Pakistan, but, in view of a constant Indian threat on the eastern borders and a state of war since last nine years along the western borders has necessitated this defence spending. Premier Yousaf Raza Gillani has recently said that, “We remain concerned over Pakistan-specific Indian military doctrines such as the cold start envisaging a limited conventional war under the nuclear overhang, huge increase in the Indian military budget and massive weapon acquisition.”
Indo-Pak Military Expenditures and Global Trends
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