Defence budget increase maintained as security improves

Finance minister Ishaq Dar informed the parliament that Rs860billion have been allocated for the armed forces

ISLAMABAD: The annual military budget was once again increased on Friday by 11 percent, even as security improves following fight against militancy and separatist insurgency for more than a decade.

Finance minister Ishaq Dar informed parliament in his annual budget address that the armed forces would be provided 860 billion rupees ($8.6 billion) during the 2016-17 financial year.

"The defence budget has been increased to 860 billion rupees which is 11 per cent more than the last year," Dar told parliament.

The defence budget was also increased by 11 percent in 2015-16.



The country has been fighting a insurgency for over a decade, with heavy deployments of troops in the border area near Afghanistan where militants have previously operated with impunity.

However security was significantly improved in 2015, which saw the least number of attacks since the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were formed in 2007.

The government will also maintain a 100 billion rupee ($1 billion) grant for the rehabilitation of thousands of families who have been forced from their homes by the insurgency and military operations to uproot the militants from the country's northwest.



Estimates show the country has lost more than 50,000 people and billions of dollars in revenue due to the ongoing war against extremism, while thousands of its families have been rendered homeless.

The army routinely receives a major portion of the national budget to counter rival India, with whom it has fought three wars, and for the fight against militancy.