Pakistan Approves Massive Supplementary Budget for Armed Forces Amid Border Security Concerns

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In a significant move to bolster security along its international borders, the Pakistani government has approved a supplementary budget of PKR 50 billion for the armed forces. The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet, chaired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, made this decision during a meeting held on Tuesday, as per reports from The Express Tribune. According to the Finance Ministry, the allocated funds will be used to strengthen security at the borders, upgrade naval bases, and protect the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). A significant portion of the budget, PKR 39 billion, has been allocated to the military, while PKR 11 billion has been set aside for the navy. The ECC meeting also approved PKR 19 billion for the Special Security Division South, a 19% increase over last year's allocation. This division is responsible for safeguarding foreign commercial interests in the southern regions. Additionally, PKR 8 billion was allocated for the Special Security Division North, which is responsible for protecting foreign interests in the northern parts. The government has also approved PKR 2 billion for managing the fencing of international borders with Afghanistan and Iran, aimed at curbing smuggling and illegal movement of foreign nationals. Furthermore, PKR 11 billion has been allocated for the navy to upgrade two bases, and PKR 150 million has been set aside for the internal security duty allowance of the Pakistan Air Force. This supplementary budget is in addition to the PKR 2,550 billion allocated as the defence budget for the year 2025-26 in June. The ECC also approved an additional PKR 841.6 million to support border control operations, internal security, and law and order maintenance by the federal civil armed forces, as per the Interior Ministry's summary.