PAF role crucial to make country’s defence invincible: COAS

SARGODHA: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif has said Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has a crucial role to make the country's defence invincible.

He was addressing the ceremony regarding induction of Fourth Squadron of F-16 planes into PAF fleet at Mushaf Airbase in Sargodha Wednesday.

The army chief said the induction of these aircrafts would further increase the professional capabilities of the PAF.

He said role of Mushaf Airbase is immensely important in the country's defense.

Lauding the cooperation of Royal Jordanian Air Force and the Kingdom of Jordan, the Army Chief said this initiative would strengthen the existing historic bonds between the two countries.

Earlier, Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshall Tahir Rafique Butt in his address said addition of new squadron in the fleet will increase PAF's capacity in combating both internal as well as external challenges.

He thanked the prime minister for giving go ahead to complete this project despite financial constraints.

Defence budget cannot be revisited: Dar

 

WASHINGTON: Federal Minister for Finance Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar said on Monday that the defence budget could not be revisited and it was incumbent upon the government to broaden the tax net.
He announced the expanding of the tax net immediately after having successfully negotiated fresh loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank here.Addressing a press conference at the Pakistan Embassy following his four-day US tour, Dar said if taxes were not raised, more loans would have to be taken.

The finance minister said loans had to be re-paid and, as such, there was no option but to broaden the tax net. Revisiting the defence budget was not possible, while salaries and pensions of government employees were already quite low and there was no room for any cuts.

In this backdrop, Dar said the only option left for the government was to increase the tax net.A spokesman for the finance ministry, meanwhile, said that the priority of the government was to increase tax revenue by broadening the tax net and by including into the system people who were not paying their due taxes. He said in the first nine months of the currentyear, the government achieved around 17 percent increase in the tax collection as compared to the last year.

Ishaq Dar also said that things were shaping up for Pakistan’s economic boost as macroeconomic stability had earned the country huge confidence of international investors and financial institutions.

Wrapping up a hectic visit to Washington, during which he had a series of meetings with World Bank, IMF and US officials, Dar said that major financial institutions now agreed with Islamabad that Pakistan’s GDP growth would surpass their earlier projections.

“The World Bank and the IMF now agree that the country would chalk up a better economic growth than earlier projections and our projection for the year is 4 percent plus,” he told Washington-based Pakistani journalists.

Earlier, Ishaq Dar held a very productive meeting with Ms Justine Greening, British Secretary of State for International Development in the World Bank, at Washington DC on Monday.Ms Greening expressed her pleasure on the overall progress Pakistan was making particularly in the taxation sector.

Defence budget cannot be revisited: Dar

 

WASHINGTON: Federal Minister for Finance Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar said on Monday that the defence budget could not be revisited and it was incumbent upon the government to broaden the tax net.
He announced the expanding of the tax net immediately after having successfully negotiated fresh loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank here.Addressing a press conference at the Pakistan Embassy following his four-day US tour, Dar said if taxes were not raised, more loans would have to be taken.

The finance minister said loans had to be re-paid and, as such, there was no option but to broaden the tax net. Revisiting the defence budget was not possible, while salaries and pensions of government employees were already quite low and there was no room for any cuts.

In this backdrop, Dar said the only option left for the government was to increase the tax net.A spokesman for the finance ministry, meanwhile, said that the priority of the government was to increase tax revenue by broadening the tax net and by including into the system people who were not paying their due taxes. He said in the first nine months of the currentyear, the government achieved around 17 percent increase in the tax collection as compared to the last year.

Ishaq Dar also said that things were shaping up for Pakistan’s economic boost as macroeconomic stability had earned the country huge confidence of international investors and financial institutions.

Wrapping up a hectic visit to Washington, during which he had a series of meetings with World Bank, IMF and US officials, Dar said that major financial institutions now agreed with Islamabad that Pakistan’s GDP growth would surpass their earlier projections.

“The World Bank and the IMF now agree that the country would chalk up a better economic growth than earlier projections and our projection for the year is 4 percent plus,” he told Washington-based Pakistani journalists.

Earlier, Ishaq Dar held a very productive meeting with Ms Justine Greening, British Secretary of State for International Development in the World Bank, at Washington DC on Monday.Ms Greening expressed her pleasure on the overall progress Pakistan was making particularly in the taxation sector.

India’s defence establishment opposed Manmohan Siachen initiative

KARACHI: India’s defenece establishment opposed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s desire to turn Siachen into “a mountain of peace” , Times of India quoted PM's ex media adviser Sanjaya Baru as saying.

According to report, Mr Singh was very keen for the initiative after his 2005 visit of Siachen but then Indian army chief JJ Singh, defence minister A.K Anthony and Pranab Mukherjee opposed his him.

The India paper published excerpt from Baru’s newly launched book "The Accidental Prime Minister" in which he said: "I was never sure whether Antony's hawkish stance was because he genuinely disagreed with the Siachen initiative or whether he was merely toeing a Nehru-Gandhi family line that would not allow Dr Singh to be the one finally normalizing relations with Pakistan.

After all, the Kashmir problem had its roots in Nehru's policies ... I felt Sonia would want to wait till Rahul became PM so that he could claim credit,” However, the ex-India army chief had rejected his remarks.

Parliament is supreme: defence minister

 

ISLAMABAD: Two senior federal ministers, Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Senator Pervaiz Rasheed, on Tuesday strongly defended parliament in the National Assembly, saying that the people of Pakistan had not lost confidence in parliament and they fully supported the democratic system.
During a discussion on a motion on the formation of a committee to investigate the allegations against parliamentarians of not paying taxes, the two strongly objected to the use of the words ‘black sheep’ by Asad Umar of the PTI for those not paying taxes and said that parliament, being the supreme institution, enjoys full support of the public. Speaker Ayaz Sadiq later expunged the words ‘black sheep’ from the proceedings.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the active participation of the people in the 2013 general elections clearly showed that the people had full confidence in the system and wanted democracy to flourish in the country.

He said all institutions come up in the defence of their people, and the parliamentarians should not belittle their own institution. “We should be open for accountability but this should be done under a certain framework, which does not degrade the sanctity of the institution,” he said.

Khawaja Asif said the parliamentarians themselves should not undermine the dignity of the House and its members and words like ‘black sheep’ should not be used by any member. ‘There should also be some principles and rules regarding the verbal war,” he said.

He said parliament was the supreme institution of the country and they had to strengthen it. “Our own colleagues let us down whenever the democratic system is attacked,” he said, adding that through speeches no such impression should be given that parliament was not supreme.

Minister for Information and said the people respected the parliamentarians despite misperceptions created by the undemocratic forces. “The impression that the people have lost confidence in Parliament is wrong and such impression often comes from the undemocratic forces,” he said.

He said the people have rendered great sacrifices for the supremacy of the Constitution and for strengthening democracy. “There is no difference between the people of Pakistan and the members of Parliament,” he added. The minister said the government’s view is the same as reflected in the army chief’s statement.

 

US defence chief to visit China's first aircraft carrier

TOKYO: US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is expected to get a rare tour Monday of China´s first aircraft carrier, becoming the first foreign visitor to go aboard the ship.

A senior defense official said Hagel requested the visit, which comes a day after he told reporters that China must better respect its neighbors — a pointed allusion to Beijing´s ongoing territorial dispute with Japan and others over remote islands in the East China Sea. He also has continued to urge Beijing to be more transparent about its expanding military.

China spent a decade refurbishing the derelict Soviet-era carrier bought from Ukraine before commissioning it as the Liaoning in 2012. It moved to Qingdao in February 2013 and is part of a major expansion of the Chinese navy that includes sophisticated new surface ships and submarines.

Early this year the Liaoning completed sea trials in the South China Sea. The official Xinhua News Agency said the carrier tested its combat system, conducted a formation practice and "attained the anticipated objectives.

"On Dec. 5, early in the Liaoning´s trial run, one of the Chinese ships accompanying it was involved in a near collision with a US Navy cruiser, the USS Cowpens, when it was operating in international waters in the South China Sea.

US Navy officials said the Cowpens maneuvered to avoid the collision, but it marked the two nations´ most serious sea confrontation in years. At the time, a Chinese media report said the U.S. ship got too close to the Liaoning.

Hagel is on a 10-day trip to the Asia Pacific region and was leaving Japan Monday to travel to China. He is scheduled to meet with senior Chinese leaders before traveling to Mongolia, then returning home.

LHC summons defence secy, ISI, IB, MI DGs, Punjab IG police

 

RAWALPINDI: The Lahore High Court (LHC), Rawalpindi Bench, on Thursday reissued notices to the secretary Ministry of Defence, director generals (DGs) of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Military Intelligence (MI) and Punjab inspector general of police (IG) to appear in person before it in the case of a missing person from Wah Cantt.
Justice Ibadur Rahman Lodhi issued the order before the case was adjourned till April 7. The court took strong notice of non-appearance of any of these officials in Thursday’s hearing. The case was filed by Nageena Bibi through Taufeeq Asif, advocate, against the disappearance of her son, Khan Badshah.

The court was told that the government officers could not come due to security risks. The court then directed the defence secretary to make sure not only his presence but also that of the heads of three intelligence agencies. The Punjab chief secretary was told to make sure that the IG should be present in the court on April 7.

China announced biggest hike of 12.2 percent in defence budget

China announced a biggest hike of 12.2 percent in defence budget on 5 March 2014. The hike of 12.2 percent will make the Chinese government spend 808.2 billion Yuan or 130 billion US dollar in 2014-15 on defence. This is the biggest increase in three years.
The estimated defence budget is 18 billion US dollars more than in 2013-14, when the budget rose by 10.7 percent. China is the second in place after the United States which spends more than 600 billion dollar in 2014.
China has been increasing the expenditure on defence since it seeks to increase its influence in the Asia Pacific. The hike, according to Chinese military, is the need to counter a high risk security environment in the china region which was recently marked by territorial tensions with many neighbours. The hike will comprehensively enhance the revolutionary nature of the Chinese armed forces, further modernize and upgrade and continue to raise their deterrence and combat capabilities.
India in its Interim Union Budget 2014-15 allocated 224000 crore rupees or 37.15 billion dollar for the national defence. The allocation represents 9.98 percent increase over the 2013-14 defence budget.

Sisi remains Egypt defence minister as new cabinet sworn in

CAIRO; Egypt's army chief Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is expected to stand for president, was retained as defence minister in the new cabinet sworn in Saturday, state television showed.
The new line-up led by prime minister Ibrahim Mahlab was unveiled after Hazem al-Beblawi's government resigned on Monday amid mounting criticism of its failure to tackle a floundering economy and worsening industrial unrest.
The new cabinet is tasked with organising a presidential election that is expected to bring Sisi, who is also a vice prime minister, to power.
Sisi, who has emerged as Egypt's most popular political figure since he led the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi last July, has not yet announced his candidacy in the election scheduled for this spring.
However, his aides say he has already decided to stand. In order to do so, Sisi must first step down as defence minister and army chief.
One of his aides told AFP this week Sisi is expected to stay on as defence minister until an electoral law has been passed.
The new government faces a host of challenges including huge security problems and economic woes, ahead of the election seen as a major step in a roadmap outlined by the interim military-installed authorities after Morsi's ouster.
Morsi, Egypt's first democratically elected and civilian president, was ousted following mass protests against his one-year rule which was marred by allegations of power grabbing and worsening an already dilapidated economy.
Analysts say the formation of a new government is likely to work in Sisi's favour as he would like to stand in the election with a government that has a good record.
Since July, Egypt has been battling deadly street violence and militant attacks that have scared off foreign investors and tourists alike.
Beblawi's government had become increasingly unpopular despite announcing two economic stimulus packages aimed at kick-starting the economy with funds provided by friendly Gulf Arab states.
Many Egyptians, weary of the three years of turmoil since the 2011 toppling of former strongman Hosni Mubarak, view Sisi as a strong hand who can restore stability.

Pak-China defence cooperation discussed

Federal minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif giving souvenir to his Chinese counterpart, Chang Wanguan. APP

ISLAMABAD: Chinese Defence Minister Chang Wanquan said on Thursday that China-Pakistan defence cooperation was a factor of peace and stability in the region.
He was speaking to his Pakistani counterpart Khawaja Asif at the defence ministry.
A statement by the ministry quoted the visiting Chinese minister as saying that Sino-Pak “cooperation has an overarching strategic dimension”. He further said: “Our mutually supportive cooperation in the field of defence is a critical factor in maintenance of peace and stability in the region”.
The two sides discussed defence production, maritime cooperation, joint military exercises and defence and security cooperation.
The Chinese defence minister later visited the General Headquarters where he was received by Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif.
Following a one-to-one meeting between Mr Chang and Gen Sharif, delegation-level bilateral talks were held.
According to the ISPR, issues of mutual interest, regional security and measures to enhance bilateral defence collaboration were discussed during the meeting.
Earlier on arrival at GHQ, a smartly turned out contingent presented a guard of honour to the Chinese minister, who laid floral wreath at Yadgar-i-Shuhada and paid tribute to the sacrifices of Pakistan Army for peace and stability in the region.