Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, better known as SIPRI, is an independent resource on global security. According to its recently published report, Pakistan is included in the top five importers of the major conventional weapons during 2008-2012 period.
The other four top importers are also from Asia — India (12 percent of global imports), China (6 percent), South Korea (5 percent) and Singapore (4 percent). Pakistan share was 5 percent of the global weapons import.
I don’t want to comment on the import of weapons by other countries as it must have been linked with the size of their economy and level of security threat, if any. But can Pakistan’s economy with a per capita income of only $ 1200 afford such a leisure?
I would call it leisure when country’s power sector can’t produce electricity as per its nameplates capacity which in turn is ruining its industries, where government-run education has badly suffered, when most of the development projects are either on hold or getting delayed, when the condition of health centers has worsened, where millions of people are still deprived of clean water — all this is happening due to lack of funds (and of bad governance), when Pakistan is already burdened by perpetual national and international loans, when Pakistan is about to initiate negotiations with IMF for another loan of billions dollars’ worth — can we still afford to import those many weapons?
There is no weight in the logic that we have to keep a deterrent or balance against India. We are a sovereign country; what is and what is not important for us shall be decided on rational grounds.
Wish the upcoming government had some courage to take the country toward stability wherein such a stockpile of weapons may not be necessary. When we can’t change our neighbors, then we have to learn to live together; such as a one-time foes — Germany and France — are now friends and supplement each other’s economy; or like Czech and Slovaks who got separated after a long union without any blood thirsty issue. Then why not same applicable for Pakistan and India? — Masood Khan, Jubail
The ‘leisure’ liability
