Rs711 bn spent on pension of retired security forces’ personnel in last five years

ISLAMABAD: While the Ministry of Defence termed the pensions of retired security forces personnel, who come under it, a matter of national security but the last five years budget documents reveal Rs711 billion (79 percent of total Rs900.96 billion) have been spent on this count.

The analysis of last five year budget documents reveal that a major chunk of the amount earmarked for pensions directly goes to the retired personnel.  According to the budget documents of fiscal year 2011-12, the federal government allocated Rs140 billion for the pensions out of which Rs98.02 billion which is 69.80 percent of the total budget was spent in paying the pensions of the security forces personnel.

In the year 2012-13, the pension’s amount was increased from Rs140.42 to Rs172 billion. However the pensions of the retired employees of the civilian government remained almost the same as was in the previous year. But the retired security forces personnel’s pensions increased significantly. The allocation of pension’s amount for retired security forces personnel reached from Rs98.02 billion to Rs131.03 billion which is 75.90 percent of the total pension allocated for pensions in the fiscal year 2012-13.

The budget documents further reveal that in the fiscal year 2013-14, the federal government increased the pension’s amount by almost five percent than the previous year. The government allocated Rs180.2 billion compared to Rs172.63 billion in the previous year. The ratio of the civilians’ pension remained almost the same as was in the previous year but the pensions of the retired security forces personnel increased from Rs 131 billion to Rs 142.13 billion which is 78.87 percent of the total pensions allocated in the fiscal year 2013-14.

The federal government did not increase the pension amount significantly in the fiscal year 2014-15 as only Rs5 billion was increased that year and reached Rs185.16 billion. However, the security forces personnel's pension ratio increased this year too and Rs168.21 billion was spent on their pension compared to Rs142.13 billion last year.

According to the budget documents, the government spent Rs222.51 billion on the pensions in the fiscal year 2015-16 out of which Rs172 billion which is 77.30% of the total allocation spent on the retired security forces personnel’s pension.

Interestingly each year the ratio of civilian retired employees’ pension remained almost the same or just a minor increment was witnessed in their pensions. However the ratio of pension of retired security forces personnel became almost double in the last five years and reached from Rs98 billion to Rs172 billion.

It is pertinent to mention here that the pension amount is issued from the civilian budget however when this scribe filed an application under the provision of Freedom of Information Ordinance 2002 to seek details of pension of the retired security personnel, the defence ministry after two months refused to provide the information terming it against the national security, and that providing the same will not be in general public interest.