Statement by Baseer Naveed, AHRC | September 14, 2010

by Baseer Naveed
Asian Human Rights Commission

There is a great deal of news being generated in the Pakistani media about the relief work by the Pakistan Army. But, something that is not mentioned and something that very few people seem to know about is that whenever the army is called out to give assistance to the civilians they charge huge amounts for their services.

During the flood relief work the Pakistan army is charging a sizeable percentage of the salary of the each soldier involved in addition to costs related to accommodation, transportation, particularly in terms of fuel and maintenances of vehicles, medical allowances in case of any accident or sickness and of course the food. These funds are drawn from the aid reserved for flood relief. The provincial governments who do not want to take help from Army in relief works have to bear the charges.

Information about the army stay at KESC and WAPDA, during Nawaz Sharif and General Musharraf periods, revealed that they were charging the equivalent of their salaries. The soldiers and officers were also very eager to get the medical benefits. The army officers were claiming medical charges for their family members, particularly for their parents and obtaining prescriptions for costly medicines which they were then trading for expensive cosmetic products.

It is the fact that army is not doing any relief work on humanitarian grounds but in order to make money out of the situation. The army of Pakistan has become a purely commercial institute.

The media houses have no option but to support and praise the army for their 'humanitarian efforts' as the licenses required to run the television and radio channels are granted by the grace of army and its intelligence agencies. The media houses have to pass through an interview with the military intelligence agencies and without their approval it was not possible to get the license.