Ministry overview | |
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Formed | August 14, 1947 |
Type | Ministry |
Headquarters | Calcutta House, Rawalpindi, Punjab Province |
Employees | Unknown (civilian) 617,000 (active duty military) 550,000 (reserve) |
Annual budget | PKR Rs. 860 billion (2016–17) |
Ministry executives |
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Child agencies | |
Website | www |
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) (Urdu: وزارت دفاع) in Pakistan is a Cabinet-level federal ministry. The MoD plays a major supporting role to the Pakistan Armed Forces in drawing up and administering the defence budget, as well as managing personnel matters (including pay and benefits), the defence estate and legal issues. It is also tasked with coordinating with a range of domestic, foreign and inter-governmental bodies on a range of related matters.
The existence and functions of the MoD are statutorily defined in Part XII, Chapter II (Miscellaneous) of the Constitution of Pakistan.
Responsibilities for the procurement, production and disposal of equipment were transferred in 2004 to the newly created Ministry of Defence Production (MoDP).
Many of Pakistan's paramilitary formations although officered and operationally directed by the Pakistan Army are administered and paid for by the Ministry of the Interior (MoI).
A Military Department was created by the British East India Company (EIC) in Calcutta in 1776. Its main function was to co-ordinate and record orders, relating to the Army, issued by various Departments of the Government of the East India Company. The Military Department initially functioned as a branch of the Public Department and maintained a list of Army personnel.
Authority over military affairs was vested with two member of the Governor General's Council. One was the Military Member, who supervised all administrative and financial matters through the Army Department based at Government House; the other was the Commander-in-Chief who was responsible for all operational matters. With the abolishment of the EIC in 1858 the Governor-General was re-designated the Viceroy, overseen by the Secretary of State for India, a cabinet minister in London heading the India Office, who was in turn answerable to the British parliament in Westminster.