Defending Pakistan Dear Sir:

Your in-depth analysis is indeed inspiring. There is no denying the fact that Pakistan`s war will be a defensive war and hence must emphasize credible, efficient, and accurate delivery systems. While the citizen`s concern about expenditures on defense is understandable, the former`s perception of the military-industrial complex is incomplete and incorrect. The question to ask is whether the benefits accruing from investing in these technologies and capabilities is greater than the costs over the long run? While a closed defense industry`s benefits over the short-term may be questionable, an open, competitive military industrial development complex has the power to generate spillovers that can vastly and powerfully influence the civilian sector for the better. While my argument is a laymen`s one, vast crossovers in technologies between the civilian and military sectors are evident in all developed economies: The same factories that produced consumer goods were geared to produce war supplies in times of need and in times of peace military supply factories are transformed into those producing nonmilitary goods. Lastly, ethics and morals aside, the products of the military-industrial complex are no different than products produced in any other sector of the economy and hence capable of earning economic rents. The current regime`s stand on R&D is encouraging and hopefully a budding one. The military industrial complex, if capable of earning a postive return, keeping in mind the tremendous beneficial spillovers it can create, is and will not be a wasted effort. Thank you for a vastly informative article.