Pakistan to increase defence budget by 6% to meet demands of its armed forces: Report

In a major move, the Pakistani government has announced an increase of nearly 6% in its defence budget for the country to meet the growing demands of the armed forces including the army personnel's salary requirements, PTI reported. As a part of the increased expenditure, around Rs 1.4 trillion (USD 7.6 billion) is likely to be allocated to the Pakistan Army in the budget to be tabled for the next fiscal year. 

Notably, this major hike accounts for about Rs 83 billion higher than the current year. As reported by Dawn newspaper, the allocation of Rs 1.453 trillion (USD 7.6 billion) would be about Rs 83 billion higher than the outgoing year's allocation of Rs 1.37 trillion, an increase of almost 6%. The increased amount will be allocated for various purposes including employee-related expenses, salaries, and allowances of servicemen.

The decision was reportedly taken by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Pakistani Cabinet which further approved additional grants for the country's defence budget. 

In addition to Army requirements, other heads of the budget will go for the development and repairs of military infrastructure, physical assets for the purchase of arms and ammunition, imports, and some other related costs including transport, ration, training, and medical treatment. 

It is pertinent to note that defence spending usually comes under scrutiny at the time of the announcement of the annual budget during which allocations for various sectors are made. 

The Pakistan Army, which has ruled the country for more than half of its nearly 75 years of existence, is known for holding considerable power in matters of security and foreign policy. Recently, several changes were made in the country's structure after Shehbaz Sharif took over as the Prime Minister of Pakistan following Imran Khan's ouster via a no-confidence vote. 

Speaking about the country's expenditure on armed forces, the spending per soldier is about Rs 2.65 million per annum, which, they claim, is not even one-third of what India spends. However, a raise of Rs 136 billion was expected keeping in view its inflation rate. 

(Image: AP)