Morning News
19th November 1964
MUJIB PLANNING TO DISARM PAKISTAN
Finance Minister’s Charge
DEFENCE SPENDING BAREST MINIMUM
Delhi Spends 7 Times
More On Army
Rawalpindi, Nov. 18 (PPA): Finance Minister Mohammad Shoaib today accused Awami League’s Shaikh Mujibur Rahman of planning to disarm Pakistan and sell out to India.
The Minister was commenting on a reported statement of Shaikh Majibur Rahman published in an Indian paper that his party would cut the military budget and reach a settlement with India if it came to power.
Sheikh Mujib is quoted to have said in an interview, reported by the Associated Press of America (APA) that he did not believe India can attack Pakistan and war and peace can be maintained only by two Powers Russia and America.
Mr.Shoaib said people who always had doubts about the patriotism of Shaikh Mujibur Rahman will find in these words an undeniable confirmation of their worst fears.
Rebutting contention of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman that Pakistan was spending sixty per cent of the country’s revenues on military budget, the Finance Minister gave figures of Pakistan’s defence expenditure (Rs. 130 crores) as
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only 42 per cent of net revenue receipts, and 32 per cent of the gross revenue receipts (Rs. 401 crores).
The expenditure he told journalists, would be only 20 per cent of the revenue and the capital budget put together and 17 per cent of the gross revenue and capital budget.
Mr. Shoaib said that the 42 per cent the Government is spending on defence was the barest minimum.
He pointed out that the Indian defence expenditure was to the order of 900 crores of rupees which come to about seven times … defence expenditure of Pakistan.
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