Ministry seeks increase in defence budget

Click here to download Ministry seeks increase in defence budget

ut 9 hours ago

Senate Defence Committee Chairman Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed speaks during the launch Media Manual on Defence Budget at PIPS. — Photo by INP

ISLAMABAD: The defence ministry has called for an increase in allocation for armed forces in the next budget on the ground that the current share is not enough.

“More funds are required for acquisition and mobilisation of new weapon systems,” the additional secretary of the ministry, Air Vice Marshal Arshad Qudoos, told a media briefing on defence budget arranged by the Senate Committee on Defence on Monday.

He said the amount provided in last year’s budget covered only the expenses incurred on salaries of troops and operational and maintenance costs.

Based on allocation for the outgoing fiscal year, the additional secretary said about 43 per cent of the defence budget had been spent on employees-related expenses, 26 per cent on operations and 10 per cent on civil works.

The remaining 21 per cent went to servicing and maintenance of equipment.

The budget for next fiscal year will be announced in the first week of next month. It is expected that the government will increase the allocation to meet the growing defence requirements.