Security budget up by Rs5.6 billion - DAWN.com

 PESHAWAR, June 8: Keeping in view the precarious law and order situation the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has increased allocations for security-related expenses by Rs5.6 billion for financial year 2012-13.

Compared to the current fiscal year’s allocation of Rs23.2 billion the government has earmarked Rs28.8 billion for security-related expenses in the provincial budget for fiscal 2012-13, which was announced on Friday.

According to the budget document, Rs22 billion of Rs28.8 billion would be provided from the federal divisional pool, while rest of the amount would be made available by the province.

A sum of Rs23.355 billion has been earmarked for police in the budget, of which Rs19.226 billion would be spent on salaries and Rs4.129 billion on non-salary/operational expenses of the police force.

It was stated that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remained the main target in the ongoing wave of terrorism and extremism, and consequently the expenditure of police force had increased steadily during last four years.

It was stated that from July 1, 2011 to Dec 31, 2011 over 200 personnel of law-enforcement agencies had been killed by terrorists. Of them, 53 were policemen, 33 FC officials, six army personnel and 118 civilians. Besides, 104 policemen, 34 FC officials, 30 army personnel and 269 civilians were injured in such terrorist attacks.

The budget document stated that from January 1, 2012 to May 27, 2012 those killed included 28 policemen, one army man and 81 civilians, while 94 policemen, 12 FC officials, four army personnel and 301 civilians were wounded in terrorist attacks.

APP ADDS: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has allocated Rs3.72 billion for 31 projects of police and prisons departments in the provincial budget 2012-13.

Presenting the budget, Provincial Finance Minister Humayun Khan said that the government would initiate 31 new projects besides completing the ongoing projects for welfare of police department, upgradation of police stations, reforms in prisons, best possible security arrangements in prisons and installation of solar energy system and provision of drinking water in prisons.

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TAPI gas pipeline: Kabul turns to Taliban for pipeline security - The Express Tribune

Karzai govt claims to have reache­d an unders­tandin­g with the milita­nts. ISLAMABAD: 

The administration of President Hamid Karzai has assured Pakistan and India that it has reached an ‘understanding’ with Taliban insurgents to ensure the security of the multi-billion-dollar Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project.

“The Afghan Taliban have assured that they would not sabotage the project,” a senior official told The Express Tribune quoting Afghan authorities. “The Afghan government would also deploy troops to ensure the security of the pipeline,” the official added.

Pakistan, India and Afghanistan are scheduled to meet in the Turkmen capital of Ashgabat on May 23 to sign the Gas Sales Purchase Agreement (GSPA). The proposed pipeline will pass through Herat, Kandahar, the birthplace of the Afghan Taliban and the most volatile province of Afghanistan, then Balochistan and Multan before entering Indian Punjab.

There is also the issue of mines on the proposed route. In 2008, Afghanistan was tasked to clear the mines on the route area within two years. Currently, officials are also unclear whether the Afghan government has succeeded in removing these mines or not.

Due to Taliban’s involvement in insurgency on the proposed route, Pakistan had earlier also proposed Turkmenistan to supply gas via Iran using the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline instead of laying a pipeline through Afghanistan, under a swap arrangement. But the proposal never materialised due to unprecedented opposition from the US against Iran.

Under this proposed arrangement, the imported gas volume agreed between Pakistan and Turkmenistan was to be supplied to the northern provinces of Iran in lieu of which Iran was to supply equivalent gas volume through the IP pipeline to Pakistan.

According to the official, an alternative western route of constructing the pipeline between the Afghanistan-Iran and Pakistan-Iran border was also proposed that was agreed by the Afghan government. Pakistan had floated this proposal as it believed that more than 72% insurgency-related cases by the Taliban take place on the earlier proposed TAPI gas pipeline route.

“After assurance from the Karazai government that Taliban will not blow up the pipeline, participating countries have agreed to lay the pipeline on the earlier proposed route,” the official said.

Participating countries including India were also concerned about security situation in Balochistan.”We have assured them that the government would prepare a force of local people to deploy in the area of the pipeline in Balochistan to ensure security,” the official added.

When the participating countries meet in Turkmenistan on May 23, they will ink the formal deal on the transit fee and GSPA. Pakistan, India and Afghanistan had agreed on a transit fee rate at 49.5 cents per million British thermal units (MMBTU), during the talks held in Islamabad earlier.

India will pay 49.5 cents per MMBTU as transit fee to Pakistan and Pakistan will pay an equal amount to Afghanistan.

“Pakistan will get $217 million as transit fee from India, which will be paid to Afghanistan,” the official said.

Pakistan and Turkmenistan have also agreed at a gas price rate equal to 70% of crude oil against the 78% of crude oil with Iran under the IP gas pipeline project.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 22nd, 2012.

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