The committee has proposed freezing discretionary funds of intelligence agencies including Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Intelligence Bureau (IB). Discretionary funds are money that an organization has on hand to spend on things that are not essential but may be useful. The committee has considered the proposal to reduce the defense expenditure. But the Defense Secretary says that this may not be possible due to high inflation and depreciating exchange rates. However, the committee may deduct non-combatant expenses.
army fund was cut
The committee is looking at banning the purchase of vehicles, stopping all perks and privileges, both local and abroad, and eliminating unnecessary posts in individual divisions. According to media reports, the NAC in its internal meeting had decided to finalize the recommendations within five days. Earlier, accepting the conditions of IMF, the government of Pakistan has cut the defense budget. In the year 2022, Pakistan’s budget was reduced from 2.8 to 2.2 percent of GDP.
Pakistani army upset due to cut in defense budget
The army had expressed displeasure with the government due to the cut in Pakistan’s defense budget. After the budget, Pakistan Army spokesman General Babar Iftikhar had said that we are protecting the country with limited resources. On the other hand, India is continuously increasing its defense budget. Pakistan slashed one-fifth of its Rs 72 billion armed forces development program in July to meet IMF conditions.
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