Pakistan increases defence spending this year. Given the importance of the motherland’s impenetrable defence, the federal government has decided to spend Rs 1.804 trillion for the Defence Division in the Federal Budget 2023-24.
The budget for the Defence Division in the previous Federal Budget 2022-23 was Rs 1.52 trillion, but the government increased it by Rs 281 billion this year, signalling that there will be no compromise on the motherland’s defence.
Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister of Finance and Revenue, made the statement while announcing the Federal Budget 2023-24 here at the National Assembly on Friday.
As Pakistan increases defence spending this year, the budget for the armed forces has not been increased since 2020, as the national economy struggles to recover from the effects of the Covid epidemic.
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The Pakistan Army is the land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The President of Pakistan is the Supreme Commander of the Army.
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), a four-star general commands the army. The Army was established in August 1947 after Pakistan gained independence from the United Kingdom.
According to statistics provided by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in 2023, the Pakistan Army has approximately 560,000 active duty personnel, supported by the Army Reserve, the National Guard and the Civil Armed Forces.
Pakistani citizens can enlist for voluntary military service upon reaching 16 years of age, but cannot be deployed for combat until the age of 18 in accordance with the Constitution of Pakistan.
