COAS Bajwa says voluntary cut in defence budget will not impact response potential

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa said there would be no impact to the military’s response potential due to the voluntary cut in the defence budget.

General Qamar Javed Bajwa who spent Eid-ul-Fitr with troops along the Line of Control (LoC) said the best Eid for a soldier is to have pride for being on duty of defending the motherland even on such festive days away from the family. “For defenders of Pakistan, our first family is the Pakistani nation, then the ones back home”, COAS said while talking to troops.

Speaking on the voluntary decision to forego even the routine increase in the annual defence budget, COAS said, “This initiative is not a favour to the nation as we are one through thick and thin.”

“Irrespective of the voluntary cut in defence budget coming financial year (FY), there shall be no impact on our response potential to all types of threat and quality of life of the soldiers. The no pay raise decision is also only for the officers and not for the soldiers. We shall manage the shortfall during FY by tightening our belt in areas where it doesn’t effect the two aforesaid aspects,” COAS concluded.

PM appreciates Pakistan military's voluntary stringent cuts

Prime Minister Imran Khan said Tuesday he was very appreciative of the Pakistan military's "unprecedented voluntary initiative of stringent cuts in their defence expenditures" especially in light of the country's financial situation.

The prime minister said he was grateful for the move that came "despite multiple security challenges" that Pakistan faces.

Prime Minister Khan further added that the funds saved will now be used for the development of the newly-merged tribal areas as well as in Balochistan.

"My govt will spend this money saved on development of merged tribal areas and Balochistan," he wrote on Twitter.

'Cut in defence budget will not be at the cost of defence, security'

Director General Inter Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor tweeted on Wednesday that voluntary cuts in the defence budget for a year would not be at the cost of defence and security.

“We shall maintain effective response potential to all threats. Three services will manage impact of the cut through appropriate internal measures. It was imp to participate in development of tribal areas and Balochistan,” DG ISPR wrote.