Pakistan Army seeks $525 mn additional funds

The Pakistan Army has sought an additional Rs 45 billion (about $525 million) to meet security requirements, an official said.

The Pakistan Army has sought an additional Rs 45 billion (about $525 million) to meet security requirements, an official said.

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Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's economic team, led by Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, has told him about the "prevailing grave economic situation" and the challenges in bridging the ever-widening "gap between national income and expenditure".

Sources told The Express Tribune that the briefing focused on Pakistan Army's request for additional funds and the consequences of delaying power sector reforms.

Shaikh last week met army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani in Rawalpindi to discuss the issue.

The daily did not say why the army needed more funds.

Pakistan's defence budget for 2010-11 is at Rs 130 billion.

The finance ministry has indicated that an additional Rs 10 billion could be set aside, the daily said on Wednesday.

The army has 480,000 soldiers. Of them, 147,000 are deployed on the country's western borders, including the tribal areas, 100,000 guard the border with India, 10,000 are on UN peacekeeping duties outside Pakistan and 16,000 are engaged in training. Some 62,600 troops are in cantonments.