An annual report, “Observance and Implementation of Principles of Policy in Relation to Affairs of Federation for 2011-12” was discussed for the first time by the Senate on Thursday. Senator Farhatullah Babar said that although the Constitution required Pakistan to be a welfare state, “the state today is guided only by considerations of security rather than the welfare of the people”. Senator Mushahid Hussain said public policies should be more geared towards improving the education system and economy. But because of our deteriorating economy, inefficient tax collection and enormous foreign debts, increasing welfare spending will not be an easy task. Due to conflicts in the region, Pakistan has spent large portions of its budget on the military for several decades. The total defence budget for the 2014-2015 fiscal year was Rs 1,113 billion (including the contingent liability and coalition support funds), which was 28.2 percent of the total budget. Additionally, Pakistan finalised a $ 952 million arms deal with the US last month and bought the leftover weapons from the war in Afghanistan worth billions of dollars. Senator Babar argued that because of an inaccurate threat perception, Pakistan has become a security-oriented state rather than a welfare-oriented one. While the disproportionate budget of the military may have been unnecessary and motivated by perceived threats in the past, the need to strengthen the military now is a consequence of the very real security concerns that Pakistan has been facing in recent years. It is unclear how long it will take for Operation Zarb-e-Azb and the various other military offensives against terrorist groups to conclude, but given how deeply entrenched these proscribed organisations have become in the north and other areas, the process of rooting them out could take years. Even after the military operations are over, security will still have to be provided to churches, imambargahs, schools and other public places prone to acts of violence and the security forces will still have to patrol and gather intelligence from sensitive areas. Therefore it is unlikely that the government will be able to cut military spending significantly in the near future. The state can however, make other crucial institutions like health and education more of a priority. The process of revitalising these failing institutions will have to be incremental and require a consistent commitment to providing better public services to the people by the government. *