Pakistan says it’s suffered $68bn loss on US-led war on terror
Islamabad: Pakistan’s economy has suffered a loss of 68 billion dollars in the aftermath of the country’s decision to become an ally in the US-led war against terrorism, according to the Economic Survey 2010-11.
In return, Pakistan has so far received around 15 to 17 billion dollars- including reimbursements of 8.2 billion dollars through the Coalition Support Fund (CSF)- an amount that cannot be termed as assistance since it is the payback for expenditures incurred by Pakistan in helping Washington in the war on terror, The News reports.
On an average, the per annum economic assistance received by Islamabad is only 374 million dollars, while military assistance is in the same range, against total losses of over 68 billion dollars, the paper said.
The Economic Survey for 2009-10 had given a figure of 43-billion-dollar loss to the national economy since September 11, 2001, when General Pervez Musharraf took the decision to stand with the US in the war against terror and launched an offensive against Taliban and al-Qaeda supporters.
A top Finance Ministry official confirmed that the government was revising the cost of war against terrorism in consultation with other ministries and divisions, and preliminary estimates suggested that it would be around 68 billion dollars by the end of the ongoing fiscal year.
The Economic Survey for 2010-11, expected to be launched by Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh on June 2, will incorporate the latest estimates for the war against terror.
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