Pakistan's ISI given Rs.600 mn for 'special assignment'

Islamabad, June 13: Pakistan's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was given Rs.600 million (about $6,090,800) in the country's federal budget for fiscal 2012-13 to perform a "special assignment" on the directive of the prime minister.

Yousuf Raza Gilani was the prime minister at that time.

Budget documents show that the money was released by the country's finance division under the "Supplementary Demands for Grants and Appropriations 2012-13", The News International daily reported Thursday.

Pakistan's defence budget is never discussed in parliament and ISI's budget is also not included in the budget documents. Hence, this seemed to be a rare exception, the report added.

The details about the nature of the "special assignment", however, remained unknown.

This apart, the defence production division spent Rs.103,426,000 to meet the cost and other annual subscriptions of two VVIP Gulfstream aircraft.

Pakistan Rangers spent Rs.82.5 million to buy a helicopter for its Punjab wing, the daily said, adding that the Rangers also spent Rs.1.387 billion to buy 37 ground surveillance radars in Sindh province's port city of Karachi.

The narcotics control division spent Rs.56.355 million in excess of the amount allocated to it in the 2012-13 budget and Rs.50 million in cash awards.

Pakistan's federal budget for fiscal 2013-14 under the new government led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was presented by federal Finance Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar on Wednesday.

IANS