Pakistan Boosts Defense Budget by 20% After India Clashes

Pakistan has announced plans to raise its defense spending by 20 percent between 2025 and 2026 following recent deadly clashes with India.

According to the budget presented by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, 2.5 trillion Pakistani rupees ($9 billion) have been allocated for military expenses, up from 2.1 trillion rupees ($7.5 billion) the previous year, Reuters reported.

The measure includes up to 704 billion rupees ($2.5 billion) allocated for equipment procurement.

An additional 742 billion rupees ($2.6 billion) will be set aside for military pensions, bringing the total defense budget to 3.2 trillion rupees ($11.6 billion).

Acquisitions Ahead of Budget Hike

Prior to announcing its defense budget increase, Pakistan had already moved to expand military procurement with several acquisitions from China.

Earlier this month, Islamabad revealed plans to acquire FC-31 Gyrfalcon stealth fighters from Beijing.

The South Asian country is also reportedly weighing the purchase of the Chinese-made HQ-19 missile defense system and up to 40 J-35A stealth aircraft.

Escalation With India

Islamabad is stepping up its defense posture following its worst military confrontation with India in nearly three decades, which resulted in dozens of civilian deaths.

The escalation began in April after an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir killed 26 people.

India accused the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, a UN-designated terrorist organization, of carrying out the assault.

Islamabad denied involvement and called for an independent investigation.

The confrontation between the nuclear-armed neighbors lasted four days and involved fighter jets, drones, artillery, and missile strikes.